The Ducks (20-12-2) return to Honda Center as they take on the Stars (23-7-5) in the first of two back-to-back games.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air on Victory+ and KCOP-13.
After five-straight games on the road, Anaheim returns to the comfy confines of Southern California with six of its next seven games at home, the sole road game being a trip to L.A. to take on the Kings.
The team went 2-2-1 on the road and is most recently coming off an overtime loss to Columbus Tuesday night. Those two teams will meet again tomorrow.
“We did a lot of good things and we did some things that, you know, we’re generous, but at the same time we’ll take the point on the road down by two,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “In overtime, we’ve had a lot of success and today was one of the games that didn’t go our way, but we’ll take the point on the road trip and regroup when we get home.”
This is the second meeting of the Stars and Ducks this season, with Anaheim beating Dallas 7-5 in early November.
Mikael Granlund, who didn’t play the last time these teams met, returns to face his former team after he was traded to Dallas towards the end of last season. He’s keeping it cool and acknowledged tonight is “just another game” but remains appreciative for the time he spent with the Stars.
“I had a really good time there,” Granlund said. “Love the guys in that group there. I enjoyed my time there so it’s kind of fun but at the same time, it’s just another hockey game.”
Dallas is on a two-game winning streak, most recently beating the Sharks 5-3 last night. Both Quenneville and Granlund discussed Dallas’ special teams as something Anaheim is keeping its eye on tonight ahead of the matchup.
“They’re a really good team, I think they’re outstanding on their special teams (with) high-end skill,” Quenneville said. “They can make plays not just on the power play or penalty killing situation, but they’ve got some guys who are high-end players that we’ve got to be aware of and try to neutralize that as best we can. But we gotta look to win that special teams battle tonight.”
“They’ve gone deep in the playoffs for many years here,” Granlund reflected. “Experienced group. Really good at special teams so it’s going to be a really good challenge for us.”
The Ducks announced Thursday that they activated Petr Mrazek from Injured Reserve and in a corresponding move, reassigned Ville Husso to San Diego.
