Anaheim's first road trip of the season, a five-game eastern trek, did not go according to plan, culminating Sunday with a
5-1 loss at Detroit
.
"There are a lot of similarities to these games," forward
Adam Henrique said
. "We're taking four or five penalties a night and giving up 40 shots. There have been some better stretches, but that's not enough in this league."
The Ducks have struggled to get off to quick starts in first periods, scoring the first goal in just two of six games so far.
"On the first shift of the game, we take a penalty that has nothing to do with saving a goal," head coach Dallas Eakins said of Sunday's game. "The only time you want to take a penalty in this league is if you're going to break up a goal, but we put ourselves off kilter right away and the killers weren't good enough."
Anaheim's penalty kill will be put to the test again Wednesday, facing a Tampa Bay squad that has finished in the league's top-10 on the power play in each of the last six seasons.
The Ducks have surrendered nine power-play goals on the season, including three Sunday in Detroit.
The Bolts visit Anaheim for the midway point of a three-game California trip, which began with a 4-2 loss to the Kings last night in LA. Tampa now sits 3-4-0 on the season.
"Obviously, it's not the start we wanted, but I think there's no need to panic. There's no need to stress out," forward
Brandon Hagel told reporters postgame
. "Everyone believes in this room that we'll turn it around. There's some adversity throughout the year, and it just happened to be at the start of the year for us."
The night will also feature the annual return of one of the greatest Ducks in franchise history, winger Corey Perry. Now in his second season with Tampa Bay, Perry has four points in seven games this season. He ranks second in Ducks history in games played and goals, and third in points and assists.
Following tonight's game, Anaheim and Tampa Bay will meet again for the South Florida half of a two-game season series on Feb. 21 at Amalie Arena.
