Anaheim Ducks 4
Minnesota Wild 1
The Minnesota Wild fell to the Ducks 4-1 Sunday night in Anaheim, in what was the Ducks’ first win of the season. It was the Wild’s second straight loss on their West Coast road trip. Devan Dubnyk finished with 18 saves in his first loss of the season.
1. Scoring chances slipped away
The Wild outplayed the Ducks, outshooting them 35-22, but they couldn’t get the puck into the net, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Two golden scoring opportunities – one in the first period and one in the third – were wasted when the puck hit the crossbar both times.
2. Ex-Wild goalie sparks the Ducks
Ducks goalie Anton Khudobin, a 2004 Wild draft pick, made 34 saves against his old team. He was a surprise addition to the Ducks lineup, the Pioneer Press notes, because he had struggled in his past few games. But Khudobin made several acrobatic saves to spark Anaheim to the win.
Nino Niederreiter scored Minnesota’s only goal in the first period.
Speedy @thelnino22 ties it up for #mnwild. #MINvsANA pic.twitter.com/eYkEMmCvb2
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 19, 2015
3. A Duck curse?
For some reason, the Ducks have had great success against the Wild recently. Sunday’s win was Anaheim’s 10th against Minnesota in their past 11 games, according to the Star Tribune.
The two teams meet again in just a few days; the Wild host the Ducks Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.
Tweet of the Night:
WATCH: Mike Yeo on the Wild playing well despite the loss – "Might have been our best game of the year" http://t.co/EuPcIZGhXB
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) October 19, 2015
Next up:
The Wild host the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
