What we learned from the Ducks' 2-1 victory over the Avalanche

What we learned from the Ducks’ 2-1 victory over the Avalanche

Ducks goalie John Gibson watches as workers remove a cracked piece of glass during the second period Thursday night.

By Curtis Zupke

Jan. 20, 2017 8 AM PT

To borrow a lyric from Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part.

A broken pane of glass behind the goal caused a 45-minute delay in Thursday’s game. It could have derailed the Ducks against the NHL’s worst team, but they erased a one-goal deficit on goals by Hampus Lindholm and Nick Ritchie for a 2-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche in an eventful, if not bizarre night at Honda Center.

Here’s what we learned:

Jakob Silfverberg’s status is in question

Silfverberg was being evaluated for an upper-body injury that forced him out of the game in the third period.

There was no immediate update.

It is not known if Silfverberg went through the protocol required for a head injury. He took a hit from Nikita Zadorov in the third and the “upper-body” designation always opens the possibility of a hit to the head.

Silfverberg is an integral part of the Ducks’ top line and has asserted himself among the NHL’s best two-way forwards this season.

The Ducks can hang their hat on defense

They have held opponents to two goals or fewer in nine consecutive games. It’s a large part of their identity that has allowed them to cash in with an 8-1-1 record in a home-heavy January schedule.

Goalie John Gibson is the rock. He made 21 saves and his 19th win puts him two behind his career-high 21 wins last season.

Strangeness follows the Ducks

Several years ago there was a delay at Honda Center because the lights went out during a Ducks game. Last season, there was a late postponement of a game at the Washington Capitals because of a severe snowstorm that was made up in the regular-season finale.

Let’s just say the Ducks are never boring.

“Of course, it’s a little weird,” defenseman Hampus Lindholm said. “But we’re all professional in here, so we know how to keep our bodies in shape to get out there. We’re just really thankful for the fans to keep [staying] in the game and not leaving and cheering us on there.”

Said Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog, “It was a long break and a different third period. Other than that I thought it was pretty funny.”