The Ducks (21-18-3) continue their four-game road trip with a stop in Carolina to take on the Hurricanes (26-14-3).
Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. PT and will air on Victory+ and KCOP-13.
Anaheim dropped Tuesday’s game to the Flyers and currently sits at sixth in the Pacific Division. Penalties doomed the Ducks in the loss, with players noting they must correct course and play cleaner games from here on out.
“We have to be disciplined, for sure,” said Jackson LaCombe. “We can’t win hockey games taking (11) penalties, whatever it was. … First and foremost, our compete just has to be better. That’s just a key that we have to figure out and come together and do…There’s always areas you can clean up, but I think for us that’s kind of our biggest thing.”
Despite the recent string of losses, head coach Joel Quenneville said his team’s morale isn’t down and shared some adjustments the team is making ahead of Thursday’s tilt with Carolina.
“I liked their attitude out there today, I thought we had a good vibe out here in the morning,” Quenneville said after the team’s morning skate. “I think we’ve got some balance in our lines. Defensively, we’ve gotta have more awareness to play a whole shift out there, both sides of the puck. You’re going to take care of both ends of the action. It’s more of a type of look with rebalancing the lines and that consistency against a team that doesn’t give you much time or space that you’re going to look to have to play a tight game [against.]”
On Wednesday, the Ducks announced they recalled Tim Washe from San Diego and in a corresponding move, placed Petr Mrazek on IR with a lower-body injury.
Washe said he’s “excited” to join the Ducks and discussed how his time in the AHL can translate to NHL play.
“Our systems are pretty identical from here and the American League (AHL),” Washe said. “So that’s pretty nice that you can see some similar things in both zones, all three zones for that matter. Work hard, play your game, [and] follow your instincts.”
The Hurricanes are currently first in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the Islanders. The team is on a two-game winning streak, most recently beating the Stars 6-3.
Sebastian Aho leads the club in assists (26) and points (43) while Seth Jarvis paces the group in goals with 20.
The Ducks and Hurricanes last met in October with the Canes winning, 4-1.
