Ducks’ Offensive Surge: Mirage or Sign of Things to Come? – The Hockey Writers Anaheim Ducks Latest News, Analysis & More

The Anaheim Ducks will put their season-high three-game winning streak on the line tonight when they host the Buffalo Sabres for a rare visit to Honda Center. The Ducks, who largely operated the first month of the season with neither an identity nor the offensive juice to give them chances to win games, have suddenly found some scoring punch during a stretch that includes victories over the Detroit Red Wings (Nov. 15), the Dallas Stars (Nov. 18), and Chicago Blackhawks (Nov. 19). 

Their output in the last three games accounts for nearly 30% of all the scoring they have done in the first 18 games of the 2024-25 season. Let’s look at three reasons why they have found success, and whether it’s sustainable as they enter a critical stretch of play to end the month of November. 

Zegras, Killorn, and Gauthier Playing Their Best Hockey of Season

Let’s start with Trevor Zegras, who prior to the Ducks’ winning streak was the most-shocking underperformer of the young campaign. It was fair to be concerned about the 23-year-old playmaker, who hasn’t seemed to enjoy himself this season. A TV camera panned to him as he celebrated his goal against the Red Wings, just his second of the season, and he was lifeless, not seeming excited, let alone engaged. However, he has found a groove in the games since, including a three-shot game in nearly-18 minutes of ice against the Stars, and two-shot, two-assist game in nearly 19 minutes of ice against the Blackhawks. There is no denying that when Zegras plays to his abilities, the Ducks can win games. His involvement in the hot streak offensively is a welcomed sight for all parties involved, especially when you consider he still has another level he can get to.

Alex Killorn is another player who has stepped up lately after a disappointing start to the season. In fact, he owns a four-game point streak (one goal, five assists) and is now leading all Ducks skaters in plus/minus at plus-five. He and fellow linemate Zegras were central to the third-period rally that pushed the Ducks past the Blackhawks. Their emergence after a notoriously-quiet first month of the season should mean great things for the Ducks, who were desperate for some consistency from their top six.

Related: Ducks Have No Identity 30 Days Into Season

And finally, we have Cutter Gauthier, the proverbially snake-bitten sniper who finally found twine for the first two goals of his career last week, one in the win against the Red Wings and one against the Stars. He called his first goal a “dream come true” and a “surreal moment” in his postgame comments, and the hope is he can keep the momentum going and start scoring goals in bunches. He has the shoot-first mentality and talent to do so. He has six assists in addition to his pair of goals, so expect Gauthier to continue seeing elite minutes and opportunities for this young team, especially now that they have a little bit of momentum going. 

Brett Leason is Ducks’ MVP of the Week

Brett Leason has been in and out of the lineup during his tenure in Anaheim due to a logjam of depth forwards. He has only dressed for 13 of the Ducks’ 18 games but has been the Ducks’ best player in November with a two-goal, five-assist, plus-3 stat line in his last five games. Head coach Greg Cronin has been pretty complimentary of his game, and for good reason. He is big and skates and handles the puck well enough to fill in different spots throughout the lineup. He seems to have earned a spot in the lineup even when Mason McTavish returns from injury.

His best game this week came against Dallas, where he factored into the Ducks’ final three goals of the game with a goal and two assists. When the times are desperate, some players will take the opportunity by the horns and step up. Leason has done that this week and is the Ducks’ unlikely MVP during the win streak. 

Power Play Is Converting Opportunities at Critical Moments

When the Ducks were at their offensive worst just 10 days ago, I wrote that Cronin needed to stop worrying about the moral victories that can be won on a power play and instead be interested in the conversions. Maybe he did that, maybe he didn’t, but the Ducks’ power play has delivered key conversions in two of the past three games. They went two-for-four against Detroit, which enabled them to keep pace in a back-and-forth game, and went one-for-two against Dallas, which padded their lead over a dangerous team. 

Those are critical conversions at times the power play needed to come through. Why? Well, the Red Wings converted three power-play opportunities of their own, so the Ducks don’t win that game if they don’t produce. On Monday, the Stars made it interesting with two third-period goals, which made the Ducks’ conversion in that game likewise critical. The success over the last three games has brought their conversion percentage up to 15.3%. While that still ranks in the NHL’s bottom-five, it’s an encouraging sign to see the Ducks string together statistically successful power-play time. 

Sustainable: Yes. Will It Continue? Maybe.

The Ducks are now averaging 2.56 goals per game. During their surge, they have shown signs they are emerging from the struggles that plagued them early on. The primary question, though, is whether they can keep it up or if this is all a mirage.

The answer isn’t so simple. The Ducks no doubt have the skill, creativity, and potential to continue producing as they have lately, but with the inconsistencies this team is known for, you just don’t know what kind of team will show up on a nightly basis. Tonight’s game should be interesting. The Sabres are a pedestrian 9-9-1 and are surrendering approximately three goals a game. It’s another opportunity for Zegras, Gauthier, Leason and the Ducks’ offense to keep the momentum going. Puck drop is 7 p.m. PST at Honda Center.