{"id":527753,"date":"2026-03-17T00:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T00:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/527753\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T00:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T00:04:08","slug":"john-carlson-plays-first-game-for-anaheim-ducks-since-trade-from-capitals-hes-a-really-good-hockey-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/527753\/","title":{"rendered":"John Carlson plays first game for Anaheim Ducks since trade from Capitals: \u2018He\u2019s a really good hockey player\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time in his 17-season NHL career, John Carlson<\/a> put on a jersey different than the Washington Capitals.<\/p>\n

\"John\ud83d\udcf8: @AnaheimDucks\/X<\/a><\/p>\n

Carlson suited up for the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday for the first time since being dealt by the Caps at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6 for two draft picks<\/a>. The game also marked Carlson\u2019s first since February 5 after rehabbing a lower-body injury for over a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our team, it\u2019s a big game,\u201d Carlson said<\/a> ahead of Anaheim\u2019s matchup against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, the last on a four-game road trip. \u201cIt\u2019s a response game for us to finish the trip right. Obviously, being my first game, I wouldn\u2019t want anything less than that. It\u2019s a big point in the season, and it feels like coming down the stretch, most of the teams we\u2019re going to be playing are kind of jockeying for something, and this will be no different and no different for us as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

He later told Victory+\u2019s Alyson Lozoff before puck drop<\/a> that this is \u201cjust an exciting time for me. I think we\u2019ve got a great team. There\u2019s a lot of really top-end talent on this team, and I\u2019m looking forward to playing with them. Just kind of getting myself worked in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ducks defeated the Canadiens 4-3, getting two goals from Leo Carlsson<\/a> (no relation<\/a>) and single tallies each from Troy Terry<\/a> and Cutter Gauthier<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While Carlson didn\u2019t register a point on the evening, he did start a scoring play \u2014 sending a perfect outlet pass to Terry in the neutral zone \u2014 which resulted in Carlsson\u2019s first goal of the night and put the Ducks up 1-0 early.<\/p>\n

In total, Carlson had one shot on goal and finished a plus-one. He received 22:59 of ice time, second most on the team behind only Jacob Trouba<\/a>, and the most shifts with 31.<\/p>\n

Carlson spent most of the night at five-on-five skating on a pairing with left-handed shooting defenseman Olen Zellweger<\/a>. With Carlson on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks saw 60.6 percent of shot attempts and 78.9 percent of expected goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a really good hockey player,\u201d Troy Terry said after the game<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s someone that I\u2019ve always just really appreciated how he plays the game. He plays the right way. He\u2019s poised. And he just seems calm, and you could feel that tonight. His first game in there, and the crowd\u2019s going nuts. They\u2019ve had three chances in a row, and you just see him calm the puck down. He just kind of has that effect on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the game, Carlson was presented the team\u2019s \u201cplayer of the game\u201d award from Ducks center Tim Washe \u2014 a Bombay jacket \u2014 a nod to the iconic Mighty Ducks movies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Johnny Baby?\u201d Washe asked before giving Carlson a hug and the jacket.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put this on in high school, boys,\u201d Carlson replied. \u201cBut, hey, it\u2019s been a real thrill playing with you guys, honestly. You never take anything for granted in this fun group. Thanks for welcoming me, making me feel part of the team right away. And now I get to say let\u2019s get the f*** back to California.\u201d<\/p>\n

One other notable part about Carlson\u2019s debut is that the Ducks\u2019 equipment staff tracked down one of Carlson\u2019s vintage buckets in orange ahead of the game: a Bauer 4500. The bucket was discontinued on retail sites years ago, but can be found on third-party reselling sites.<\/p>\n

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