No matter how they've won, the Ducks have shown tremendous resilience over a stretch that has also seen the club win seven of their last eight (7-1-0) and earn points in nine of their last 10 (7-1-2) and 10 of their last 12 (8-2-2). It's been a remarkable turnaround for a team that not too long ago went through a stretch that saw them go winless over a seven-game stretch (0-5-2) from late October to early November.
Tonight the Ducks will look to push their win streak to six in a row against the Carolina Hurricanes, the club they defeated, 2-1 in overtime, a week ago today. They needed a comeback effort that night in Raleigh, starting with Pontus Aberg's game-tying goal with 3:50 remaining in regulation and ending with Ryan Getzlaf's breakaway goal in overtime. That night, the Hurricanes finished with 34 shots on goal, 33 of which stopped by John Gibson. The Hurricanes make it known they have no problems shooting from everywhere. They're averaging the most shots on goal per game (38.8) and have outshot opponents in 59 of 81 regulation periods this season.
"They're a team that likes to shoot the puck," reiterated Ryan Kesler. "They have a bunch of different faceoff plays they like to use. We just need to be ready for the same type of game. If we just keep them to the outside and protect the front of the net, we're going to be fine."
Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle adds, "Nothing has really changed from their perspective, on their systems or what they're trying to do. You can see they're attacking, they're involving their D and they're putting bodies and pucks to the net."
Rickard Rakell's status for tonight's game remains uncertain after he suffered a lower-body injury in the third period of Wednesday's game vs. Chicago. Rakell didn't practice yesterday and had an assessment done, according to Carlyle. Rakell was one of four Ducks to appear in every game this season.
The Hurricanes enter tonight's game riding a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) and have gone 1-3-1 in their last five. What was once a potent offense has gone dry as of late, as the Canes have scored just five goals in their last five games. Already without the services of their leading goal scorer Micheal Ferland (concussion), the Hurricanes were dealt more bad news when it was announced Jordan Staal suffered a concussion during the third period of their 5-1 loss in San Jose on Wednesday.
"We're obviously missing a couple key forwards," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said on the team's official website. "It's going to be tough. We know that. It's always tough. We need everyone to contribute in some way or fashion. I know one thing: If we do start going off on our own little way, we have no chance of success. We have to stay positive. If the chances are there, you should feel good about your game."
