A rested flock was set to return to the ice after the holiday break as the Ducks geared up to dive headlong into a back-to-back set at home that will see them opposed by the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
After last Sunday’s dramatic comeback against Utah HC capped a spurt of three wins in four games, a competitive effort in Las Vegas in their fourth game in six nights fell short against the Pacific Division-pacing Golden Knights on Monday.
In a game where shots on goal, shot attempts and other possession metrics were roughly even, the Ducks’ 0-for-4 performance on the power play loomed large. That was especially true since it was part of a broader stretch that has seen them go 1 for 19 while also allowing their only two five-on-four goals this season, including one against Vegas. They have been outscored narrowly overall (16-14) in the five games they’ve played during that span.
“We’ve got to get the power play going. That has been sputtering along,” Coach Greg Cronin told reporters. “When you do get power-play goals, it actually generates some offensive confidence, five-on-five. There’s a lot of frustration on the bench when they don’t score, particularly when we’re not getting a lot of chances and the other team’s getting shorthanded goals and shorthanded chances.”
The Ducks were also shorthanded on Sunday in a different fashion, as they lost forward Brock McGinn (lower-body injury) and goalie John Gibson (upper-body injury) early in Vegas. Per Derek Lee of The Hockey News, neither player practiced on Friday, though the Ducks said Gibson’s absence was related to a separate illness as opposed to his upper-body injury.
McGinn should be considered doubtful while Gibson and Lukáš Dostál might still split the two upcoming matches as planned initially.
The first of those two games will pit the Ducks against Philadelphia, which has spent much of the year attempting to overcome a six-game winless slump that followed its season opener. Though they have cobbled together a pair of four-wins-in-five-games surges, the Flyers most recently lost four of five, surrendering 28 goals in those five outings.
Travis Konecny, who signed an eight-year contract worth $70 million over the summer, leads the Flyers in scoring with 41 points. Matvei Michkov remained the frontrunner in the Calder Trophy race, though San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini has become an increasingly formidable challenger while Montreal’s Lane Hutson has emerged as a dark horse.
Edmonton has won 11 of its past 13 contests to catapult itself in the standings. As recently as Dec. 5, the Oilers sat fifth in the Pacific, but they’ve since leapfrogged three teams – the Kings, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks – to situate themselves directly behind Vegas.
That has also pushed their megastars, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, up the Art Ross Trophy leaderboard. Draisaitl’s 52 points tied him with Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen for second in the NHL entering Friday’s games while McDavid, who missed three games due to injury earlier this season, had 49 points to place him sixth in the league.
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)
