What we learned from the Ducks’ 2-1 loss to the Wild

There were occasional chants of “Duuuu” for Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk by transplant fans in Honda Center on Sunday night, reminiscent of the “Bruuuuce” chants that once were heard for Bruce Boudreau.

In those moments, it seemed like old times with the Ducks struggling in the second period and a Boudreau-coached team sticking to defense. This time, though, Boudreau, in his first game in Anaheim since he was fired last summer, was behind the bench for the Wild in a 2-1 win against his old team.

Here’s what we learned:

The Kesler effect ended. The Ducks went into the game 22-0-1 when Ryan Kesler scored a goal at Honda Center. So it looked promising when Kesler woke up a pedestrian start by both teams by doing what he’s done most of his career: Going to net. He batted Jakob Silfverberg’s rebound out of midair in front of Dubynk at 11:44 into the game. It was the fifth straight game the Ducks scored the game’s first goal.

But the Kesler streak ended against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Perhaps it’s a wake-up call for the Ducks not to rely on Kesler and his line and to get more from Corey Perry, who went scoreless for the 12th straight game.

Minnesota shut it down center ice. The Wild showed why it allowed the fewest goals in the West when the team didn’t allow the Ducks a clean path into their end for much of the game. Boudreau is characteristically known as an offensive coach, but he turned the Ducks into a defense-first team last season because of an anemic offense. He and his staff have also made center-ice play a focal point with the Wild.

“I think their whole game is the neutral zone,” Andrew Cogliano said. “I really do. You’re not getting a lot of rushes in the neutral zone. You’re not creating a ton. You’ve got to get pucks in and get on their D. But their D moves the puck well. They’re one of the best teams in the league, for sure.”

There could be some defensive tweaks. Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle mixed up his defensemen pairings. Brandon Montour played with Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm at times, while Kevin Bieksa saw shifts with Sami Vatanen.

Bieksa sat for about 10 minutes in the second period in what might have been a case of the defenseman being banged up.

At any rate, it could portend changes, although the Ducks have not allowed more than two goals in three straight games.