Anaheim Ducks coach Greg Cronin labeled him a “third-line guy.”
His teammates nicknamed him “Iron Sights” for the frequency with which he was hitting a post or crossbar.
Mason McTavish, who will turn 22 on Thursday, has had plenty of growing pains since being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, but it appears he’s starting to come into his own.
McTavish has five goals over his past three games entering Tuesday night’s contest in Seattle against the Kraken. He was named the league’s second star of the week, behind only Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak.
“It’s nice to see them going in for him,” Ducks forward Trevor Zegras said.
McTavish has scored twice in each of the past two games, leading the Ducks to a 5-1 victory Thursday against Pittsburgh and a 5-2 win Saturday over Nashville.
He had a chance at his first NHL hat trick facing an empty net in both games. He hit a post against the Penguins and missed by about a foot vs. the Predators.
“We’re gonna get him the third one,” Zegras said. “It’s coming. I feel it.”
McTavish — whose father, Dale, played nine games with Calgary in 1996-97 — had just six goals through the first 40 games of the season before his recent breakthrough.
“I think we’re just playing more connected right now,” the Ducks’ center said. “At the start of the year, I think our team was kind of disjointed. You kind of had to do everything by yourself, I felt like. … And I’m not sure why. But we’ve kind of worked through that — I think it’s just kind of flowing a lot easier right now.
“Guys have more chemistry. More connectivity, I’d say. Just kind of predictable. Knowing what the other guys are going to do when they get it. I think that really goes a long way.”
The Ducks might be without goaltender John Gibson, however, as he left after the first period Saturday with an upper-body injury. Lukas Dostal replaced him and stopped 32 of 33 shots over the final two periods.
“I checked in afterwards, and I saw (Gibson) had some stuff on him, so I don’t know what’s going on with him,” Cronin said. “I think he’s going to be fine, though.”
While Anaheim has been idle since Saturday, the Kraken suffered a 4-2 loss Monday in Edmonton as Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid scored in his return from a three-game suspension levied for his cross-check against Vancouver on Jan. 18.
Seattle led 2-1 before McDavid tied it early in the second and Corey Perry scored the go-ahead goal on a breakaway midway through the period.
Eeli Tolvanen and Vince Dunn each scored for Seattle, which had won three of its previous four games. Joey Daccord made 27 saves in the loss.
The Kraken went 0-for-4 on the power play and couldn’t convert a two-man advantage for more than a minute late in the first period and early in the second.
“It just wasn’t good enough,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “You want your power play to A) provide a goal, and B) provide a spark. … That was a dent in the game.
“We can talk about the power play not getting it done for us, and that’s a big part. But how we played for 60 minutes in a real positive. Our challenge is to keep it going, game after game.”
–Field Level Media
