The Anaheim Geese entered the 2024-25 marketing campaign with renewed hope that their half a decade’s price of painfully poor scoring woes would flip a nook now that they had been fielding one of the best mixture of offensive expertise (on either side of the puck) that they’ve had in a very long time. The combination of youth, talent, creativity, and veteran savvy was purported to click on or not less than start to exhibit indicators of clicking. We’re 12 video games into the season, lengthy sufficient to make our first reliable evaluation of the workforce, and the offense appears to be like misplaced, incohesive, and bereft of the ending skill that many specialists, followers, and coaches thought and doubtless anticipated to indicate up.
Associated: Forward of Homestand, Geese Should Study From Street Journey and Adapt
This has been painfully apparent by the primary two video games of their six-game homestand. Right here’s a have a look at what went unsuitable in Tuesday night time’s 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Geese’ Beforehand Sizzling Sources of Offense Have Cooled Off
Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry have been the one persistently productive gamers on offense this season in Anaheim. When they don’t seem to be concerned, the workforce doesn’t win. These are the info as a result of Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Alex Killorn, Frank Vatrano, and Ryan Strome have been invisible most nights. Cutter Gauthier has but to attain his first profession objective, however he’s firing the puck on web each likelihood he will get. He leads the Geese in pictures and the NHL in complete pictures and not using a objective.
With out Terry and Carlsson’s manufacturing, the Geese don’t have any likelihood, and the final handful of video games has confirmed as a lot. They’ve been woefully outplayed and outworked in current weeks by the underwhelming New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Canucks.
Terry has one objective in his earlier six video games, whereas Carlsson has one level in his final 5. Terry factored into the scoring towards the Canucks with an help, however it’s not sufficient. He and Carlsson need assistance, they usually aren’t getting it. McTavish has been okay, however he isn’t enjoying with the finisher’s contact or physicality that he started final season with.
Olen Zellweger Is the Solely Participant Producing Something From Blue Line
Making issues worse is the entire lack of manufacturing by any Geese defender not named Olen Zellweger, who scored the Geese’ lone objective final night time. He has utterly usurped Pavel Mintyukov because the key facilitator of the assault from the again finish and has performed with poise, vitality, and aggression all marketing campaign.
Mintyukov, alternatively, hasn’t factored right into a contest offensively apart from his two-goal sport within the dwelling opener, almost 10 video games in the past. We knew that considered one of these two younger males would assume this function on the blue line this season, and Zellweger has demonstrated that he’s extra deserving of the chance to this point. Head coach Greg Cronin provided excessive reward for the teenager in his post-game feedback.
Trying elsewhere, be warned, it’s dire. Cam Fowler has one level because the season opener. Radko Gudas and Brian Dumoulin, not overly offensive gamers to be truthful, have zero and two factors, respectively. Jackson LaCombe has solely performed six video games. Tristan Luneau was out and in of the lineup earlier than lastly getting despatched right down to the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League, the place he ought to get extra constant minutes. The workforce must afford the youth on the roster, particularly on protection, some grace as a result of a lot is requested of them regardless of their age. However there are minimal excuses for the veterans to be this nonexistent. I can’t consider any.
Geese’ Prime 9 Can’t Produce Something at 5-on-5
As inconsistent because the Geese’ energy play has been to this point, it delivered their solely objective in yesterday’s loss. It additionally was the distinction within the win over the New York Islanders on Oct. 29. Their five-on-five sport, notably by their prime three ahead strains, is one other story. If their five-on-five sport produces offense in any respect, it has been minimal, particularly within the final two weeks. Their final objective at even power got here from a line that featured Ross Johnston and Brock McGinn. Honest play to them for doing what the remainder of the forwards couldn’t.
We are able to lean on the expertise and potential of many underperforming gamers to moderately predict that the Geese will begin producing extra offense. Zegras, McTavish, Vatrano, Gauthier, and others will rating objectives – it’s only a matter of when. It must occur quickly, or the Geese will plummet towards the Western Convention basement. Dropping to the Blackhawks was unhealthy, and the hassle towards the Canucks was worse.
When, or How, Will it Flip Round?
In the identical post-game feedback, Cronin offered little cause for optimism concerning the workforce’s goal-scoring. He, like many people, is perplexed by the anemic state of the Geese’ offense and acknowledged that he doesn’t have the solutions. The offensive line combos to date have proved ineffective. There isn’t one duo, or trio, that’s working.
Final season, he may lean on McTavish and Vatrano within the early going. This season, it’s Terry and to a lesser extent Carlsson. The one vital query proper now’s, the place do they go from right here? It’s early and the Geese are solely at 4-6-2, however in a season the place the items had been lastly in place to begin constructing optimistic momentum, the struggles on offense recommend something however that.
The Geese have scored greater than two objectives in simply 5 video games and only one objective in 5 others. Their 25 objectives in 12 video games have introduced their goals-per-game common to 2.08. That’s not going to get it achieved towards their subsequent opponent, the Minnesota Wild, who’re 8-2-2. The Geese have an additional day without work and don’t play till Friday, however that’s not sufficient time to repair the issues plaguing this offense. I suppose we’ll simply must see if luck and puck luck begin going the Geese’ manner.
