Tuesday evening’s embarrassing loss to the Vancouver Canucks was the fifth sport of the 2024-25 marketing campaign the place the Anaheim Geese scored only a single objective. It was the third time within the final 4 video games they’d been outshot by at the least 15. In opposition to superior groups, they only don’t have the puck sufficient to get something going and fall again the all-too-familiar pattern of hoping their goaltender limits the opposition to at least one or two objectives amidst a barrage of photographs and high-danger scoring probabilities.
There are a variety of causes the Geese can not hold the puck and generate extra photographs. They go up capturing alternatives to make an additional go or maintain onto it longer, they dump the puck into the offensive zone however wrestle to retrieve it, they miss the online with their makes an attempt, fumble possession, or miss totally on passes; the listing goes on. Exterior of the uncommon circumstance the place they discover their sport early and convert on a power-play probability or two, this offense proper now’s simply not going to reliably rating the three to 4 objectives wanted to win a sport. It will get no simpler tonight, when the Geese face a red-hot Minnesota Wild group that has begun the season a formidable 9-2-2. Who on the Geese must step up? Let’s take a look at a number of names.
Honorable Point out: Pavel Mintyukov
Let’s start with an honorable point out who doesn’t make the listing as a result of he’s nonetheless simply 20 years of age and adjusting to the obligations of being a high 4 defenseman on a struggling group. Qualifier apart, Pavel Mintyukov has not begun the season the way in which that his play throughout his rookie season prompt he would. He has struggled to provide offense, although his two-goal sport within the home-opening win towards the Utah Hockey Membership (Oct. 16) was the very best output by a Geese blueliner this season. Exterior of that, there hasn’t been a lot. He has discovered methods to get pucks to the online — he has at the least one shot in 5 of the final six video games — however little to indicate for it. He’s little doubt a full-time participant for this group, however he has already ceded some accountability to Olen Zellweger, and generally Jackson LaCombe, each of whom have dealt with the lion’s share of power-play quarterback duties as of late.
The final 5 video games have been significantly tough. He hasn’t registered some extent and is minus-5. We anticipated rising pains for the younger Russian, and it appears like we’re seeing it early, however there’s nonetheless loads of video games left for him to ship an spectacular sophomore season. Brighter days are forward for the blueliner in 2024-25.
Trevor Zegras
Trevor Zegras tops the listing of skaters working out of explanations for his underwhelming begin. A sluggish 2024-25 and injury-riddled 2023-24 make his 61-point sophomore season and 65-point third season seem to be ages in the past. He, like Mintyukov and the remainder of the offense, obtained concerned within the five-goal house opener, however has failed to provide since. He performed his greatest sport towards the Pittsburgh Penguins (Oct. 31), the place he impressed with an help to Alex Killorn and a near-conversion on a late-game breakaway probability. Exterior of that, he has an empty-net objective. That offers him three factors in 12 video games, only one greater than he had via 12 video games final season, when he wasn’t in sport form and was clearly compromised bodily. What’s the reason now?
Certain, he nonetheless dazzles along with his arms, imaginative and prescient, and playmaking in moments that don’t lead to objectives, however the lack of manufacturing is perplexing. At 16:36 in common time-on-ice per sport (TOI), he’s enjoying lower than he ever has, however he’s skating with expert gamers — Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier to call a pair — in order that’s not the difficulty. He’s getting minutes on the facility play, albeit on a second unit that options extra meat-and-potatoes gamers like Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome, and Alex Killorn. It might’t be that both.
The reply is anybody’s guess, however one has to marvel the place it’ll go away Zegras if the shortage of scoring continues. He’s among the many high two or three of the Geese forwards when it comes to pure playmaking skill, so I don’t suppose the Geese ought to transfer him, however we see underperforming high-potential gamers get moved now and again (Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois are current examples) when it isn’t working. My hope is that doesn’t occur, nevertheless it bears mentioning when he has missed 52 video games and seemed common within the final two seasons when he was wholesome.
Frank Vatrano
Subsequent is Vatrano, who entered the marketing campaign on the heels of a profession season in 2023-24 (37 objectives, 23 assists.) It was a feel-good story that was unlikely to proceed this season, given the insertion of a wholesome Zegras and Gauthier into the top-six ahead group. The mathematics simply doesn’t assist Vatrano getting the identical variety of alternatives to provide, however we nonetheless anticipated him to issue into the offense as a productive middle-six ahead. As a substitute, he has a single empty-net objective to his credit score. He has three assists.
Associated: Geese September Sequence: 2024-25 Expectations for Depth Forwards
He has put three-plus photographs in objective in 5 of his final seven video games. He has been his feisty, shoot-first self, and too has been positioned at a number of totally different spots within the lineup. It’s simply not delivering outcomes. And he, as soon as once more, sits close to the highest of the group in penalty minutes. For a man who paced the Geese final season with not solely his scoring but additionally his aggressive edge and consistency, going the primary 12 video games and not using a non-empty web objective is a worst-case situation for all concerned.
Cam Fowler
Cam Fowler by no means turning into some of the elite defenders within the NHL will at all times be puzzling given he had all of the instruments to change into one. At 6-foot-2, he isn’t undersized. He has elite mobility, can transfer the puck effectively, possesses strong offensive instincts, and may play successfully in all conditions. These days are all however behind him now, however he nonetheless has sufficient left within the tank to be a frontrunner and affect defenseman on the Geese’ rebuilding blue line. In a unit that features many gamers beneath the age of 23, and a handful of different veterans that can’t do what he can, Fowler merely appears like one of many guys. He doesn’t stand out in anybody specific space. He has been a plus participant in 4 of the final 5 video games however hasn’t produced some extent for the reason that Geese’ loss to the New Jersey Devils two weeks in the past.
The Geese are ravenous for a participant or two, on either side of the puck, to take cost and fill manufacturing voids which can be holding this group again. The younger Geese would profit drastically from a veteran like him main the way in which. At 32, he’s previous his prime however nonetheless has the stuff to play a bigger position in creating offense and fixing the Geese’ many issues.
Alex Killorn
For many who are given ample alternative, a lot is anticipated. This holds true for our final participant on the listing – Alex Killorn. At 34, his greatest days too are behind him however he’s getting a significant alternative to contribute at even power and particular groups for the Geese, to middling outcomes. He scored his first non-empty web objective towards the Penguins however, like the remainder of the group, doesn’t have a lot going for him in any other case.
A flexible and rugged plug-and-play participant with championship pedigree is the final word complement to the younger talent gamers the Geese have, in each on- and off-ice worth. We noticed that worth in numerous methods final season, when Killorn turned one of many extra constant producers within the second half as soon as he was wholesome. The start of the 2024-25 season has not been a continuation of that. He must do extra with the 16:59 in TOI that he’s getting, which ranks third amongst Geese forwards.
Gamers Whose Breakout Appear (Considerably) Shut
We all know that Rome wasn’t inbuilt a day. However the Geese are dragging their toes on their solution to better construction, constant offense, and an general id. It has resulted in an unexpectedly boring and disappointing begin to the 2024-25 season. If assist doesn’t come from the gamers we simply mentioned, maybe it’ll come from the following two, who’ve additionally been underwhelming however exhibit encouraging indicators.
Mason McTavish
McTavish’s solely objective was a meaningless one within the last seconds of the Geese’ current loss to the Chicago Blackhawks (Nov. 3). It’s definitely not the beginning anybody was anticipating from him given he’s in a contract 12 months and desires a wholesome and productive season after a sophomore marketing campaign slowed by harm, inconsistency, and lack of self-discipline. He nonetheless suffers from an absence of self-discipline (he leads the Geese in penalty minutes) and may barely win a faceoff (47.6%-win share) however does have a handful of assists that counsel he’s nearer to breaking out than a few of the different names on this listing. However when will he rating? Hopefully quickly.
Cutter Gauthier
Gauthier is simply 13 video games into his NHL profession, so he will get some grace. To not point out, he leads the Geese in photographs on objective, shot makes an attempt, and the NHL general in photographs with out scoring a objective. He has hit the submit a variety of instances and has demonstrated that he is aware of the place to go on the ice to get alternatives. His first objective, and plenty of extra, don’t appear too far off and he’ll get extra comfy because the season progresses.
The numbers counsel it’s a foregone conclusion that the Geese will not hold tempo with Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild tonight. In spite of everything, these numbers counsel they would wish to attain 4 to outpace the Wild’s 3.6 objectives per sport. The Geese have scored 4 simply as soon as this season. However sports activities are the world’s greatest unscripted drama, which is why we watch these video games. Tune in tonight for a 7 p.m. puck drop at Honda Heart.
