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

For the fifth time in their last six outings, the Ducks didn’t come away with two points. The Tampa Bay Lightning controlled the first two periods en route to a 2-1 victory on Sunday. There’s certainly no shame in losing to the best team in the league, but the Ducks are in danger of falling behind fast in the standings as the schedule ramps up with plenty of back-to-backs. Here’s what we learned:

John Gibson can’t be their best player every night. Sooner or later, the Ducks need to score goals with consistency to support their goaltender, who’s been stellar. As the season wears on, he’s sure to have slip ups, and he’s not going to be able to bail them out every game. With all the injuries, the Ducks are short on players who can create and score from all angles. They need to grind out wins with their forecheck in the meantime.

Corey Perry’s finding his touch. The longtime Duck didn’t score Sunday, but he was great on the puck, especially in the offensive zone. He found Brandon Montour on the doorstep for the would-be game-tying power-play goal that was disallowed. If Perry can begin to lead the first-line offense and return to form, the Ducks will be a far more dangerous team to contend with.

Jakob Silfverberg is another player who could turn the offense around. The Swede potted 23 goals last season and missed the 50-point plateau, but had just two goals entering Thursday’s game. Now, he has five after scoring again Sunday, and he’s exactly the kind of player the Ducks need to step up right now. It would be great if the team could get linemate Andrew Cogliano going too. Right now, they need offense anywhere they can find it.