![\"Vegas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/vegas-golden-knights-v-vancouver-canucks-vancouver-canada-april-16-vancouver.jpg\")
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VANCOUVER, CANADA – APRIL 16: Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet speaks to the media after their NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Arena on April 16, 2025 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Anaheim Ducks<\/a>\u2018 five-game losing streak didn\u2019t go unnoticed prior to their comeback win over the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n Flyers\u2019 coach Rick Tocchet made the admission following the Ducks\u2019 5-4 win over his team. Per Charlie O\u2019Connor of ALLPHLY via Yahoo Sports<\/a>, Tocchet said, \u201cI think we thought it was going to be a bit of an easy night, I really do. And that happens to teams sometimes. You\u2019ve got to be careful of that.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a lesson all young teams can learn. For the Flyers, whose Hockey-Reference<\/a> page lists their average age at 27.7, it\u2019s a prime teaching moment that Tocchet can use. As for the Ducks? It\u2019s also a teaching moment, even if they emerged on the right side of it.<\/p>\n Anaheim\u2019s average age is 26.2<\/a>, making the Ducks one of the youngest teams in hockey. They will have teaching moments that they may emerge on the wrong end of. But they can also learn from an opponent\u2019s mistakes. Especially when that opponent is roughly on the same level as they are.<\/p>\n Anaheim Ducks Emerged On The Right End Of A Prime Teaching Moment<\/p>\n What Tocchet said on Saturday afternoon is a recurring trend among young teams. They build a multi-goal lead, put the game in cruise control even without realizing it, then find themselves playing catch-up hockey.<\/p>\n And the Ducks are no strangers to what happened to the Flyers on Saturday. Go back to Anaheim\u2019s 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins<\/a> on Oct. 16, when the Ducks scored two goals in 21 seconds toward the end of the first period.<\/p>\n It looked like Anaheim was going to blow out the Bruins. Then Boston scored on three straight power plays \u2014 one in the second period, two in the third \u2014 as a result of sloppy play from the Ducks. Anaheim also led that game 2-1 after the second period before Boston scored three times in the third frame.<\/p>\n Anaheim also had moments throughout their entire road trip<\/a> where they played outright lazy hockey. They let the New York Rangers<\/a> score five times before they finally woke up toward the end of the contest. The Islanders<\/a> put three goals on the Ducks in the first period. Against the Devils<\/a>, Anaheim never seemed particularly energized.<\/p>\n Ducks Road Trip Has Been Full Of Learning Experiences<\/p>\n Rick Tocchet\u2019s comments drove home the fact that the Ducks did not either win or learn on their four-game road trip. They either won and learned,\u00a0or they learned. Anaheim learned that they can\u2019t start playing decent hockey late in three of their four East Coast games.<\/p>\n They also learned a solid first period of hockey won\u2019t guarantee a win. That learning experience dated back to before the East Coast trip began. Tocchet and the Flyers just reinforced it.<\/p>\n As the Anaheim Ducks head back home to begin a three-game homestand at Honda Center, their short-term aim should be simple: Take the valuable lessons they learned on and even before the road trip, apply them, and start getting consistent again.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTodd Matthews<\/a> Todd Matthews is a veteran sportswriter with years of experience covering the NHL, NFL, and other major sports. His background includes team-specific coverage, breaking news, analysis, roster developments, player trends, and league-wide storylines. He joined Heavy in 2026 and previously wrote for FanSided. 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