The Ducks (33-24-3) continue their homestand by taking on the Islanders (35-21-5).
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air on KCOP-13 and Victory+.
Anaheim’s winning streak came to an end last night after falling to the Avalanche, 5-1. The Ducks were down 2-0 heading into the second period, but couldn’t surmount a comeback.
“In a lot of these games, we’ve been able to come back,” said Alex Killorn. “But against a team like that, you can’t really spot them two goals, they’re just too good.”
One bright spot was the play of Cutter Gauthier. The forward continued his strong season campaign by scoring his sixth goal in as many games and has 13 points in his last 12 contests.
Tonight’s game features two contenders for the 2026 Calder Trophy in Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke and New York’s Matthew Schaefer.
Sennecke currently leads all rookies in points (49) while Schaefer holds a one-score advantage (20) over Sennecke (19) in total goals. Schaefer’s 20 goals are the most by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.
“It’s [his] skating, his lateral mobility,” Sennecke said about the 2025 first-overall pick. “It’s just his ability to look so smooth when he’s skating, so controlled. He’s unbelievable. It’s crazy he’s only 18, doing it.”
The Islanders have been playing a similar brand of hockey to the Ducks as of late.
New York is currently on a five-game winning streak with its most recent win coming over the Panthers on Sunday. The team has fallen behind 2-0 in their last three games but found a way to come back to win all three.
As for the Ducks, head coach Joel Quenneville said the quick turnaround will allow for his team to compartmentalize the Avs loss and move forward, but at the same time, the Islanders present similar difficulties, so the Ducks have to be on their game to get back to their winning ways.
“We’ve got the same comparable challenge ahead of us,” Quenneville said. “The Islanders have got a good team. They’re gonna be dangerous, they’re fresh, [and] they’re ready, so let’s make sure we come back with a better game.”
Tonight’s game begins a four-game road trip for New York as head coach Patrick Roy said David Rittich will get the start between the pipes.
This is the second regular season meeting between the teams as the Islanders took the first matchup, 5-2, in mid-December.
