ANAHEIM — Andrew Cogliano looked disheartened after the Ducks found a way to lose their sixth consecutive game, a head-scratching 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at Honda Center. Ryan Getzlaf seemed angry and defiant. Pontus Aberg appeared numb.
The Ducks were only moments away from securing another point in the standings after Aberg’s power-play goal pulled them into a 2-2 tie with 2:12 remaining. They weren’t at their best or their healthiest, but they skated purposefully and it looked like they might be rewarded for their resolve.
Then they fell apart at the moment of truth, giving up what proved to be the winning goal only 21 seconds after Aberg tied it with his second of the game and his fourth in two contests. They left the Flyers’ Nolan Patrick alone in front to swat home the tiebreaking score with 1:51 remaining.
It was a coverage breakdown, one in which multiple mistakes were made.
Worst of all for the Ducks, no one covered the front of the net, leaving Patrick unmarked.
“You can feel sorry for yourself all you want, but I think at the end of the day you’ve just got to get it done in that situation,” Cogliano said. “It’s just unacceptable at that time to give up a goal. It’s one thing if it’s a point shot or something, but it’s incredible how we could give up a goal.
“I was out there, so I’m not pointing blame at anybody else. You get discouraged, but there’s no time for that really in this league. You have to find a way. No one cares how you’re losing games or what the story is. You just have to find a way in these moments.”
Getzlaf, the Ducks’ captain since 2010-11, has been through rough patches before and he didn’t seem as wounded as Cogliano at game’s end. Getzlaf was a rookie with the Ducks when they tied the franchise record with an eight-game losing streak in November 2005.
“I’m going to show up to work tomorrow,” he said. “That’s what we’ve got to do. That what anyone has to do when times get tough. You can’t point fingers. You can’t go astray. You’ve got to show up to work. The more we work in practice … the better the result will be on the ice.”
Aberg gave the Ducks a chance, rallying them from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1, with his third and fourth goals in two games. He also scored twice in helping the Ducks force the San Jose Sharks to overtime Sunday before suffering a 4-3 defeat. He was in no mood to celebrate individual success.
“I’m not really thinking about it,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay positive.”
It seemed to be a chore after the injury-depleted Ducks let one get away.
The Ducks summoned rookie Marcus Pettersson from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL to replace veteran Josh Manson (upper body) in the lineup. Coach Randy Carlyle also played Jacob Larsson and Andy Welinski, giving him three rookies in his six-man defense corps against the Flyers.
What’s more, Carlyle decided it was time to give goaltender John Gibson a rest after he faced 40 shots or more in three of his past four starts, including 49 during the Ducks’ OT loss to the Sharks on Sunday. Ryan Miller started in place of Gibson and made 33 saves.
The list of the injured included Max Comtois (lower body), Patrick Eaves (shoulder), Ondrej Kase (concussion), Nick Ritchie (upper body) and Carter Rowney (upper body). Eaves skated with the Ducks the past few days, but his return to the lineup remains uncertain.
Ryan Kesler didn’t practice with his teammates Monday and didn’t join them for their morning skate Tuesday, but he was in the lineup to face the Flyers. Kesler (hip) hasn’t missed a game since making his delayed season debut Oct. 10 against the Arizona Coyotes.
Cogliano, Kesler, Larsson, Brian Gibbons and Hampus Lindholm were on the ice when Patrick scored the tiebreaking goal.
“We had double coverage on the point,” Carlyle said of the defensive breakdown that led to the goal. “The puck went back down behind the net and they made a Hail Mary pass to the front and it was right on the tape for Patrick. He threw it far side and it went past our goaltender.”
Carlyle declined to name names when assessing fault. There was enough blame to go around, though.
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Cam Fowler talks about the tough 3-2 loss to Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/QM701qMUVj
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 31, 2018
