These are frustrating times for the Anaheim Ducks.
They sit last in the Western Conference standings as the holiday break begins. They’re also coming off an overtime loss on Tuesday to the New York Rangers that could’ve possibly been avoided had it not been for two costly Anaheim turnovers that led to Derick Brassard goals for New York.
Bruce Boudreau, Anaheim’s head coach, wasn’t at all pleased.
“You go up the middle when all he had to do was go to the side, his guy was wide open too,” said Boudreau, as per NHL.com. “Use the boards. It’s a simple play.
“The mistakes we’re making, this is the NHL, this isn’t the Junior B at 14 years old when you expect that.
“This is the National Hockey League. Those guys gotta make better plays coming out of our zone.”
Below, you’ll find video evidence of what Boudreau was talking about.
First, it was defenseman Josh Manson giving the puck up to Brassard in the slot, immediately leading to a goal in the first period:
Then, it was Jiri Sekac turning the puck over to Mats Zuccarello, who fed it over to Brassard for his second goal of the game in the third period: