The Anaheim Ducks’ defense just absolutely cratered on Saturday, giving up six goals to the New York Islanders, with four of those coming in a brutal second period that saw Simon Holmstrom light them up for a hat trick in a 6-2 loss at Honda Center. This isn’t just a tough loss; it’s a full-blown defensive crisis that has suddenly turned their “lightning hot offensive streak” from a week ago into a distant memory, replaced by what the source called “canyons” in their defense.
Anaheim’s Defense Collapses, Islanders Go Off
Talk about a defensive breakdown! The Islanders put up four goals in the second period alone, making Anaheim’s defense look more like a sieve than a solid wall. Ben Hutton kicked off the Islanders’ scoring with a double deflection less than two minutes into the game. Then, Bo Horvat buried a one-timer six seconds into their first power play, pushing the score to 2-0. Even after Nikita Nesterenko got one back for the Ducks, Holmstrom quickly countered, scoring his first goal just 25 seconds later on a two-on-one with Matthew Schaefer. Five minutes after that, Holmstrom grabbed his second, capitalizing on Leo Carlsson sliding into Lukáš Dostál, before Mitchell Chaffee added the Islanders’ fifth after another Schaefer two-on-one. The “wheels came off” for Anaheim’s defense, and it was painful to watch. This team that was scoring 26 goals in a five-game winning streak, and five or more goals in eight straight games, has now managed just four goals in back-to-back losses.
Holmstrom’s Hat Trick Highlights Ducks’ Pain, Gauthier Still Shining
Simon Holmstrom was an absolute beast out there for the Islanders. His hat trick was the dagger for Anaheim. After his first two goals in the second, he sealed the deal in the third period, beating Dostál’s glove one-on-one for his third of the night, making it 6-2. He even got to celebrate with Kyle Palmieri after one of his goals, just twisting the knife for Ducks fans. The only glimmer of hope for Anaheim was Cutter Gauthier, who kept his historic goal-scoring streak alive. He carved out space alone in front and deflected a hard feed from Tristan Luneau for the Ducks’ second goal. Gauthier actually tied the legendary Teemu Selanne (1998-99) for the second-longest goal-scoring streak in franchise history. Selanne himself holds the record at 11 games from 1997-98. Meanwhile, for the Ducks, Lukáš Dostál stopped 19 of 25 shots in his first start in over a week, after getting pulled in Calgary last Friday. Ville Husso was the backup, as Laurent Brossoit, who had won four of his first five starts during their offensive surge, was just reassigned to AHL San Diego. Semyon Varlamov, on the other side, looked solid with 26 saves for the Islanders.
The Ducks, now at 10-9-1 with 21 points, are in serious trouble defensively. They’ll wrap up their four-game homestand on Sunday with a back-to-back against the Calgary Flames. After that, they hit the road for a four-game trip, kicking it off in St. Louis on Tuesday. They better figure out those defensive “canyons” fast, or this season could get ugly.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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