The Ducks will take the ice tonight for their final game before the 2024 NHL All-Star Break, hosting the San Jose Sharks at Honda Center.
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Anaheim looks to close the season's unofficial first half with points in four straight games and a little revenge against a division rival. The Ducks earned three of four possible standings points this week in a short two-game trip to Dallas and Minnesota, a 4-3 OT setback against the Stars and a comeback 3-2 victory over the Wild two nights later.
"The results have varied this year and been frustrating at times, especially in one-goal games, but I thought collectively we had a really good third period," Ryan Strome said of the trip's finale in the Twin Cities. "Everyone dug deep and found a way to get the job done. These wins feel good. We'll take it, sit on a for a few days and then be ready for San Jose."
Added Troy Terry, "Sometimes it's not bouncing your way and [in the third] we decided to make our own bounces, so I'm really proud of the guys there.
"We've got five of the last six points, but it's all about the way we're playing. I thought we did a better job."
Anaheim got contributions -- offensively, defensively and in the net -- from throughout its lineup during the trip, with consecutive multi-point nights from Terry and Adam Henrique, third-period goals from Strome and Jakob Silfverberg and 75 combined saves from Lukas Dostal and John Gibson.
"The goal category has been tough for me this year, I want to have a few more obviously," Strome said after his deflection tied the game in Minnesota. "It's good to get one and hopefully it leads to a little roll. Anytime you see the puck in the net, you feel a little more confidence. I'm trying to work hard every day and it feels good to get one."
Said Terry of the rookie netminder, Dostal, "He's been good all year. He's been calm and confident. You wouldn't know it's his rookie year."
Anaheim now welcomes San Jose back to town looking for a bit of revenge after a 5-3 Sharks win just 10 days ago at SAP Center. The Ducks limited the Sharks to 19 shots in that game but a couple of odd-man rushes and failed defensive zone clears would provide San Jose with just enough offense.
"It doesn’t matter how many shots you have, it's the quality of the shots," head coach Greg Cronin said. "And we actually had quality shots we didn't take. Give them credit, they did an unbelievable job blocking shots, and they stayed with it.”
The win kickstarted a three-game unbeaten streak for the Sharks, one that saw wins over the Rangers and Kings on back-to-back nights. With a win over Seattle last night on home ice, San Jose has now four of its last five games and has points in six of its last 10 overall (5-4-1).
"I think we have confidence now that we can close a game out, whereas at the start of the year we were gripping the sticks a little too tight and making panic plays," goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood told NHL.com's Chelena Goldman. "But we seem calm and believe we can close a game out, and we did a really good job."
The Sharks (14-32-4, 32 points) sit eighth in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Blackhawks for the league's worst record.
