Patrick Present Tue, October 20, 2026 at 3:20 PM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To kick off their four-game East Coast road trip, the Anaheim Ducks traveled to Manhattan on Monday evening to take on the New York Rangers .
The Ducks entered play on Monday after two disappointing 4-2 home losses to the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins , both of which the Ducks led. This game was to be the first leg of a back-to-back, as they'll travel to face the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Takeaways from the Ducks 4-2 Loss to the Bruins
Takeaways from the Ducks 4-2 Loss to the Flames
The Rangers are off to a somewhat surprising hot start this season, but entered play on a two-game winless streak and were hoping to return to the win column.
Ducks captain Mikael Granlund missed the team's previous game against Boston with an upper-body injury, but was back in action for this one. Veteran defenseman and UFA signing from the 2026 offseason Nick Jensen made his Ducks debut in this game and slotted in on the listed bottom pair alongside Pavel Mintyukov.
Here's how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Ville Husso got his second start of the season in this game for the Ducks and saved 25 of 30 shots while under siege from puck drop. He was opposed by rookie netminder Dylan Garand in the Rangers' net, who stopped 29 of 31.
"Disappointing more than anything, a game like tonight," Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville told media after the game. "We didn't have much, and when I say that: possession of the puck, play recognition, second battles. They played well. We didn't really have anything that was dangerous to them."
The Ducks had improved in certain defensive aspects early in this season compared with recent years, and they've taken steps back in others. In this game, every area that had plagued the team in the past and present reared its head and directly contributed to goals against on the scoreboard.
Breakouts/Exits : With a young blueline and the sheer number of new faces up front, this has been the area in which the team has struggled the most this season. In this game, the young defenders, misreading time and space on occasion, reverted to sending empty rims to the near and far halfwalls in hopes their winger would win an ensuing board battle and clear the defensive zone.
Too often those wingers allowed opposing pinching defenders to jump the routes to those rims, and even when those battles were created or won, second touches out were elusive, whether it came in the form of attempted slips to centers or chips into neutral ice. Telegraphing first passes and failure to read pinches led to minutes-long cycle sequences for the Rangers.
Ville Husso : This game could have gotten out of hand far quicker had it not been for Husso's performance against a multitude of high-danger chances. Said extended cycles could have prolonged had he not displayed quality rebound control and game management, remaining square amid flurries and finding ways to freeze pucks, allowing his teammates to reset for a faceoff.
Recoveries/rush defending : The poor exit sequences didn't end when pucks made their way past the defensive blueline. Too often, New York won the neutral zone puck battles and turned play quickly back up ice, which took advantage of overeager forwards flying the zone and defensemen too delayed in closing gaps against transition.
When opposing rushes were defended well, there were often still sorting issues, which led to open seams and defenders struggling to recover and eliminate dangerous options.
Roger McQueen/Nikita Klepov : Though both of the Ducks' top prospects had quality sequences in this game that showcased their ultimate potential, they performed expectedly like rookies with only a few career games under their belts.
With the puck on his stick, Klepov navigated tight spaces and read how lanes developed on the rush to a level beyond his years. He was one guilty of misreading developing or broken sequences in his end. He too often flew the zone when more support was needed and struggled to identify seams.
McQueen is translating his effective reach to both rush and cycle sequences on the offensive side of the puck and generated a few quality looks. However, in his end, though he was efficiently in position, his reads were somewhat delayed, as he squandered a handful of second touches up ice, which halted rushes before they began.
Overall, these are details that can be acquired with reps at the NHL level, but were costly in this game in particular.
The Ducks will have a chance to quickly flush this game, as they'll head to Long Island to take on the Islanders on Tuesday at 4 pm PST.
Ducks Roster Updates: Poehling to IR, McQueen Recalled, Helleson to Debut, Gauthier Day-to-day
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Source: Sports
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