ANAHEIM — Here’s the thing about Ducks rookie Trevor Zegras, the thing opponents must learn, and learn it quickly: Give him an inch of open ice and he’ll take a mile, give him one step and he’ll take two, three, four or more and make you pay. He’s just that creative with the puck on his stick.
Zegras skated into open ice twice in the first period Sunday at Honda Center and burned the Arizona Coyotes twice, setting up two goals in a 3-2 overtime loss for his first multi-point game of his budding NHL career.
The best is likely to come for the 20-year-old left wing.
As for the present?
Well, Arizona defenseman Jakob Chychrun countered Zegras’ high-level playmaking by scoring three times to rally the Coyotes, including the game-winner 1:47 into OT. Chychrun’s second goal tied the score 2-2 at 15:09 of the third period, forcing the game to overtime.
So, it was a mixed bag for Zegras and the Ducks.
“The pro game is a different animal, but he did a great job of coming in here early, before training camp,” Ducks center Sam Carrick said of Zegras. “He didn’t dip his toes in the water. He jumped right in. He’s been awesome so far, so it’s very promising for the organization to see a young guy come in and do so well.”
Carrick and Derek Grant scored first-period goals for the Ducks, who failed to hold leads of 1-0 and 2-1, and lost their third in a row. John Gibson returned to the net after sitting out three games because of an unspecified upper body injury and made 28 saves, stopping all but three Chychrun lasers.
“I thought ‘Gibby’ was solid,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “It was good to see him back in the net.”
Gibson would not be beaten when Clayton Keller was awarded a questionable penalty shot 1:41 into OT. It was a questionable call only because Grant was picked off at the blue line, which allowed Keller an open lane to the net. Eakins said an interference penalty was warranted.
“That was a little bit upsetting,” Eakins said. “That was the only bit of heat on the bench.”
Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell and Troy Terry were sidelined by upper body injuries, knocking out three of the Ducks’ best playmakers. It didn’t take long for Zegras to display his wizardry with the puck, though. He set up both of the Ducks’ goals, feeding Carrick from behind the net for the first one.
“What he’s doing at his age at this level is pretty special,” said Carrick, who was recalled from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL earlier in the day.
The Ducks’ 1-0 lead lasted less than 30 seconds.
Or about as long as it took Chychrun to blast the puck behind Gibson from the right wing. Zegras helped to restore the Ducks’ one-goal lead by firing a shot on Adin Hill’s net that Grant deflected past the goalie for a 2-1 lead at 14:47. That lead lasted until the closing minutes of regulation.
Gibson had plenty of work during a scoreless second, but most of the Coyotes’ 15 shots in the period were from the perimeter and easily handled. As in past games, the Coyotes’ speed and skill were difficult for the Ducks to neutralize, but scoring chances were few and far between.
Carrick had an eventful season debut with the Ducks, scoring one goal and drawing a fighting major. Carrick also sent Hill into an agonized state that required attention from the athletic trainer after it appeared Carrick speared the goalie in the groin while going for a rebound.
Carrick wasn’t penalized and after an extended break Hill stayed in the game.
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April 05, 2021 at 11:00AM
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Ducks fail to capitalize on Trevor Zegras’ playmaking, lose in OT - OCRegister
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