ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks’ stirring comeback victory over the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night was a nice gritty triumph. It will only hold more significance if the Ducks can generate momentum. And that hasn’t been easy for them.
The steps from rebuilding to playing games that carry a ton of meaning can contain potholes to trip on. The Ducks’ 3-2 win on Troy Terry’s goal with 25.1 seconds left was a feel-good moment, the most thrilling at Honda Center since Leo Carlsson’s first overtime goal won their home opener. But it was nothing more.
There are larger things to draw from the Ducks toppling the Jets. One is the emergence of a go-to line that coach Greg Cronin has struggled to find for months.
The trio of Terry, Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome would ideally be a decent second grouping, or a quality third line on an elite team. The fact they’re the Ducks’ No. 1 unit reflects where the club is at in building a winner — still hovering near last place in the Pacific Division. But they’re the Ducks’ best, and every team needs a line to lead the way, even if it’s for a stretch of time given the impermanence of lines.
Terry’s goal capped a big night that had Vatrano’s fingerprints all over it. On a night when Anaheim played terrific hockey for two periods and fought off Winnipeg’s third-period surge, Vatrano scored first by deflecting in a Radko Gudas point shot to finish a strong shift by the line and then pulled the Ducks back into a tie with 4:46 left in regulation, when he threw a puck toward the net that got a fortunate inadvertent deflection off the stick of Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov.
It gave them a shot at earning a much-needed point, but Vatrano wasn’t done. His forecheck forced a turnover, freeing the puck up for Terry to weave a shot around outstretched Jets goalie Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck’s unheralded backup who was outstanding for the lagging Jets on this night. That wrapped up a three-point night for Vatrano, his second of the season. He’s up to nine goals and 17 points, with seven of those goals and 10 of those points coming in the last 11 contests after a slow start following his 37-goal, 60-point breakout that led Anaheim last season.
“I feel like I’ve been like that my whole career,” Vatrano said. “I’ll go through these slumps and then kind of score in bunches. I’ve always been doing that my entire career. Obviously, when I got off to the start that I did this year, you can kind of grip your stick a little bit too tight. I think at the end of the day, you don’t got to worry about scoring goals. You gotta worry about the things that get you scoring goals.
“For me, it’s just playing simple and finishing hits. Like every hockey player says, just play a simple game and that’s what I try to do.”
Vatrano is an interesting case. The 30-year-old left wing is in the final year of his contract after signing in the summer of 2022. He was one of Pat Verbeek’s first notable free-agent signings and has produced on a deal with a $3.65 million salary-cap hit. That’s key as it makes him an attractive candidate for the 2025 trade deadline, even more so than last spring, when his name surfaced in discussions.
The Ducks held on to him. And while they’re still an under .500 team with a long climb ahead just to play important games in the second half of the season, they still want Vatrano and aren’t viewing him as a valuable trade chip. It’s possible he still becomes that, but Verbeek has an affinity for the spiky scorer and there’s a desire to re-sign him — at a comfortable amount and term length. Verbeek is identifying players he’d like around when the Ducks are set to contend for the playoffs, and Vatrano is one.
“I think this team is ready to take that step where we’re playing meaningful games all the way to the end,” Terry said. “And then Frank, for example, he’s such a big part of this locker room. He’s such a big part of my life and a lot of other guys’ lives. We have kids the same age. Just trying to make sure that we’re putting ourselves in a position where we can maybe be making a push.
“We’d all love to have him back. He blocks shots. He skates. He’s got a world-class shot and does everything right. That’s kind of on us to make sure we’re putting ourselves in that position.”
Terry, who’s been Anaheim’s best player, is up to 25 points in 30 games with his own scoring spurt of late. He’s got 13 points in the last 11 games after three games without any. There’s only been one other time he didn’t score in back-to-back contests, which speaks to a season he’s putting together for a team that’s ranked 31st in scoring. And while Strome still scuffles in finishing plays, he has delivered some of his most effective work during this run with his linemates since joining the Ducks as their other big 2022 free agent.
“That’s why they’ve been together,” Cronin said. “You run the risk if you pull them apart and try and get a little bit of energy out of other lines. Quite frankly, some of these other lines got to start picking it up. I thought (Mason McTavish’s) line was really good on the road trip when Robby Fabbri came back. I thought they all had jump. They didn’t play to that level. Stromie’s line was outstanding. If you get everybody playing to that level, then you’re going to win a lot of hockey games.”
The other point of emergence is the continued impact play from defenseman Jackson LaCombe. The Ducks finally moved on from Cam Fowler, as they had left-shot blueliners ready to take what had been his leading role. LaCombe has been moving into that space. In another highly effective game on Wednesday, he notched an assist to give him five points in the last three games. His six goals and 11 points now top Anaheim’s defense. “He’s a guy that’s popping,” Cronin said.
An example of the confidence they have in LaCombe is their willingness to let him jump down deep into the offensive zone to essentially act as a fourth forward whenever possible.
“I watch him from the bench now, and it’s like you have a guy that’s a legitimate difference-maker,” Cronin added. “(Cale) Makar’s very flashy and he’s obviously an all-world defenseman. Jackson doesn’t have the same pop to his skating, but he’s got a very cerebral way that he plays the game and he makes the right play. He’s poised. He’s got a burst of speed that gives him the opportunity to generate the chances he’s getting. He’s our best defenseman by a long shot.”
While Cronin said what one would expect after one of Anaheim’s biggest wins — that it should give them confidence and be something to build on — the Ducks need to offer up more proof to show they’re to be taken seriously. But after weeks of sporadic line combinations and zero sustainability among them, they’ve found one that’s become reliable.
Vatrano said it has come from each knowing his role, particularly with him and Strome letting Terry drive the line and working off him. They’ve become tight and comfortable enough to get into each other if they’re not performing but also quick to hang out away from the rink.
“It’s crazy,” Vatrano said. “Me, Troy and Stromer aren’t really that old but we’re like a veteran line, right? We have a young team. For us to get the heavy minutes every night and the heavy matchups, it kind of takes the load off the younger guys that are still trying to learn.
“It’s a lot to come into this league. If you’re playing a top-six role against the top players every single night, it’s not an easy task. Those guys are going to drive it for us in the future here. Right now, it’s our thing to shut down their top line and also score goals.”
(Photo of Frank Vatrano: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
