The Ducks (31-23-3) keep the homestand going and look for their fourth consecutive victory as they take on the Winnipeg Jets (23-26-8).
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air exclusively on Victory+.
Anaheim earned its third straight win on Wednesday with a 6-5 comeback victory over Edmonton. In a game they never led until the final 74 seconds of regulation, Cutter Gauthier scored the game winner which gave head coach Joel Quenneville his 1,000th regular season victory.
Quenneville is only the second head coach in NHL history to accomplish that feat next to Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman (1,244).
“(Bowman’s) in a different league when I look at his company,” said Quenneville. “He’s lonesome up there, the number he’s at. Scotty and (former Blackhawks GM) Stan Bowman were in Chicago together. We had some great wins. He’s got a lot of Cups, and he’s been very successful in the game.”
“The way he’s looking at the game, and the other team, is something you can’t really teach,” Radko Gudas said of his head coach. “It just has to come with experience. Being the second one that can do it or will do it is absolutely, in the history of the game, incredible. Something you can’t describe. That is one of the most special things that a coach, I would say, can do.”
In his return to action, Leo Carlsson had a goal and two assists in the win. After the game, he discussed what it was like coming back off the thigh surgery that sidelined him since January.
“A little tired, a couple of long shifts,” Carlsson said. “I was absolutely gassed on the bench, but I felt okay. Stickhandling was okay, too. Speed was fine. So, pretty good.”
For tonight, the Ducks look to keep things rolling as they are on a six-game home winning streak and are third in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Winnipeg currently remains out of playoff contention but comes into this game off a 3-2 overtime victory over Vancouver on Wednesday courtesy of Cole Perfetti’s game winner.
Connor Hellebuyck, who won gold with Team USA, is expected to return to the Jets lineup tonight.
This is the second regular season meeting between these two teams with Anaheim taking the first game in a 4-1 win on Nov. 9.
