Ducks’ Adam Henrique and linemates respond to benching and criticism

Adam Henrique was skating but going nowhere in particular for far too long.

Ducks coach Dallas Eakins had seen enough during Wednesday’s loss to the Minnesota Wild, so he benched Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg and Danton Heinen for several shifts. Eakins then called them out publicly after a 3-2 loss, saying he expected a great deal more from their line.

After all, Henrique led the Ducks with 26 goals and 43 points last season, and Silfverberg had 21 goals and 39 points. Heinen had three goals and four points in nine games after a trade from the Boston Bruins. They combined for zero goals and zero points through Wednesday’s game.

Naming names is often tricky. The players might get offended and shut down all together, rebelling against an authority figure. The general manager might call the coach into his office to remind him to keep such criticism private and within the confines of the dressing room.

Eakins certainly got the attention of his players, though, and they responded.

Henrique scored a third-period goal Friday – his first point of the season – that enabled the Ducks to send their game against the Colorado Avalanche to overtime. He also had five shots on goal, another season best. He also was credited with 10 wins in 20 faceoffs in 17 minutes of ice time.

Silfverberg also had a season-best five shots and assisted on Henrique’s goal, also his first point.

Heinen had two shots and an assist for his first point.

The Ducks lost 3-2 in overtime to fall to 1-2-2, but there were unmistakable signs of improvement. Scoring chances were not few and far between, as they were in the season’s first four games. Their power play looked dangerous, although it failed to produce a goal.

Above all, they gave themselves a chance to win.

“A lot of those little things made a difference for us, especially as a line,” Henrique said Saturday. “We were getting pucks to the net, getting opportunities and turning that into a goal later in the game was big for us. Maybe we weren’t even doing the right things before.”

Henrique then attempted to explain what had gone haywire in the first four games.

“We were in between,” he said. “If you’re in between, you’re just kind of chasing around everywhere rather than driving plays and forcing them (the opposition) into hurried plays or making things tough on them and making them make tough plays to get out of their zone.”

Henrique and his linemates got their feet moving and dictated the pace of the game at times, which was exactly what Eakins wanted and expected from them. Silfverberg nearly scored a first-period goal, but he was robbed on two tries by sprawling goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

Heinen’s cross-ice pass to Henrique for the tying goal in the third was superb.

“You’re just skating around not accomplishing what you set out to accomplish,” Henrique said of his frustration going into Friday’s game. “(Friday), we changed that. We played with more pace more consistently, but we were all on the same page, so rather than slow it down in the neutral zone, we were just up and back in, up and back in. If we were back, we changed from offense to defense quick.”

What’s next for the Ducks, who host the Avalanche again Sunday?

“I think just getting on the board, getting opportunities. You hope it snowballs, really, and then you just keep reinforcing those same things you’re doing to create those opportunities,” Henrique said. “Now I think we just keep building and keep progressing in the right direction.”