The Ducks will visit the desert for a Saturday afternoon matinee today, taking on the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena.
PUCK DROP: 1 P.M. | TV: BALLY SPORTS SOCAL | DUCKS STREAM | NHL GAMECENTER
The second weekend of Anaheim's regular season will look a lot like the first, with a back-to-back that starts on the road before another Sunday night game at Honda Center - and a little travel in between.
The Ducks will look to bounce back in Arizona after a tough 3-2 loss to Dallas on home ice Thursday. Anaheim tied the game early in the third period that night on Leo Carlsson's first NHL goal off a 2-on-1 rush with Troy Terry, but a bad bounce in the other crease moments later would give the Stars would proved to be the game-winner.
"We played hard," coach Greg Cronin said. "In the second period, we turned pucks over. You watch Dallas, they're a Stanley Cup contender, they’re one of the favorite teams coming out of the West. They played a mature second period. They got the change game going, they put it deep, they didn’t turn pucks over, they put pressure on us.
"For me it’s a lesson for our group of how to manage the puck and manage a period. I thought the response in the third period was terrific. Unlucky goal off of a skate. It’s one of those game’s you’ll toss and turn over."
Despite what Ducks players and coaches agreed was a lacking second period, Terry said he's been impressed with the way the team has been ready to go at puck drop early in the new campaign.
"I think something that we're proud of is our starts," Terry said. "I think we've started every game so far really well. I think the shots were 10-1 or 11-1 or something in the first 10 minutes. Just penalties. Special teams are killing us right now."
Anaheim has especially struggled on the penalty kill thus far, surrendering six power-play goals in it's first three games.
"It's something we've got to fix and it's on us," Terry said. "But 5-on-5, you see a team that is carrying the puck more. We're faster and we're just trying to be harder to play against. I think you saw that [Thursday]. I thought we skated really well with them, got on their [defense] and did all of the right things to win a game, special teams is just the difference."
The loss put a damper on what was otherwise a special night at Honda Center as Carlsson and defenseman Tristan Luneau each made their NHL debuts.
"It doesn't look like it's his first game as an 18-year-old," Terry said of his linemate Carlsson. "He's strong on the puck. I was following the draft and everything and knew about those top three guys. I don't feel like his skating was talked about much, but his speed is phenomenal for how big he is. His hands, his brain and he makes life easy for me, as a winger. Not putting too much pressure on him, and I'm just proud of how his first game went. He looked like he played freely, but he's a special player."
Added Cronin on Luneau, "Tristan was terrific. I've said it before, he's a very confident guy with the puck and the challenge for him is to balance out his play in 1-on-1 possessions. He tries to beat guys sometimes instead of moving it and moving without the puck. That's a junior habit he got away with for years, so now he's got to learn to balance that out. I thought he defended well. I was more worried about what he was going to do away from the puck defensively, but I thought he did a great job."
Both could see their first NHL road game Saturday as the Ducks return to Mullett Arena, a building in which they earned three of four possible standings points a year ago.
"Anaheim\] is a team with a lot of talent,” [Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny told team reporter Patrick Brown. “They have a really aggressive style, they’re really heavy on the forecheck. It will be interesting for us, we need to be ready for that, but I like the way we’ve played and we just need to make sure we’re focused at the right place."
The Coyotes will be hosting their home opener today after a 2-2-0 start on the road.
"They're fast," Cronin said. "Their defense are like forwards. They have like six forwards playing defense. They're up and down the ice and are very active in the offensive zone. They're a challenge with high-end skill. [Logan] Cooley is a heck of a player. We'll need a different kind of battle plan against them.
"Dallas and Vegas are very similar. They're heavy teams, forechecking teams. Big defense. This will be a different game all together."
