Slumping Ducks fall to lowly Kraken – Orange County Register

ANAHEIM — The Ducks had the shots on goal and the fancy stats in their favor, but the Seattle Kraken got the two points in a 3-1 affair on Monday night at Honda Center.

It was the Ducks’ fifth loss in seven games and Seattle’s second straight victory, albeit only their third in their past 13 decisions.

Mikael Granlund scored a goal for the Ducks, who were without No. 1 center Leo Carlsson for the first time this season (lower-body injury). Lukáš Dostál handled 18 of 20 shots.

Kaapo Kakko assisted on goals by Frederick Gaudreau and Jordan Eberle before Eberle tacked on an empty-netter. The Kraken were missing Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann and former Duck Brandon Montour. Philipp Grubauer made 38 saves, matching his season high from his last appearance, a loss to Colorado on Tuesday.

In the third period, Grubauer continued to dominate, including with his glove on a one-timer from Mason McTavish. Dostál stopped all but the Kraken’s toughest chances and Ross Johnston leveled Vince Dunn in the neutral zone.

Yet with nearly every metric in their favor, the Ducks fell behind Grubauer and chums for the second time after Seattle’s captain, Eberle, scored halfway into the final frame.

It was Finn-on-Finn crime when Kakko took the puck from Granlund in the Seattle zone to set up a three-on-two counterattack. Kakko centered the puck for Beniers, who found Eberle in the left circle for a strike to the far side. Eberle deposited the puck into the vacated cage with 35 seconds to play, dooming the Ducks with his second goal of the night.

Twenty minutes came and went without a goal, thanks in part to Dostál’s stellar stop on Gaudreau and a three-on-one chance that fizzled out for the Ducks. But in the second period, Seattle cracked open the scoring with an extra man before the Ducks took control.

Their 11th of 14 consecutive shots on net tied the score. At 15:40, Granlund deflected Jacob Trouba’s shot off the ice and over Grubauer’s pad for his sixth goal of the season. Four of those have come during his four-game goal streak.

Trouba had taken a penalty at the 4:19 mark, and 40 seconds later the Ducks were down a goal.

Ian Moore blocked a shot with his leg that went straight to Kakko at the side of the net. Though he couldn’t get much on an attempt toward a huge opening in the net, he recovered the puck and centered it for Shane Wright, who slipped it to Gaudeau. Wright’s primary assist was his eighth point in seven career games against the Ducks, his most points against any franchise.

More to come on this story.