The Ducks will host the penultimate game of the season's longest homestand tonight, facing off the Winnipeg Jets at Honda Center.
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Anaheim gets back to action after earning a point in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to Toronto on home ice. Courtesy of a marvelous goaltending performance by rookie Lukas Dostal, the Ducks led 1-0 deep into the third period that night, but a late tying goal by Maple Leafs captain John Tavares and an OT game-winner by Auston Matthews pushed the Ducks' losing skid to three games.
"We're not an offensive juggernaut, so we have to put pucks deep, hunt them down and get them back," head coach Greg Cronin said. "In the first 10 minutes of the first period, they were flying and we were late to pucks and possession. In the second period, we got into a little bit of a possession game, but we didn't really have much tonight, to be honest with you. I thought we played hard, but [Toronto] is a really good hockey team.
"They controlled most of the play and then whatever energy they built 5-on-5, they amplified with the power plays. Dostal kept us in there and it's a shame he couldn't have gotten the win."
Dostal set a new Ducks franchise record with 55 saves in the setback, the most saves in a single game by any NHL goaltender this season. Across his last five appearances, Dostal owns a .939 save percentage. He leads NHL rookies in saves (465) and also ranks sixth in wins (seven).
"Obviously, that's my job," the ever-humble Dostal said. "You go by the pace...It it's 20 shots or 40 shots, at the end of the day, I'm just trying to make sure I stop every puck. That's my job."
Up front, Anaheim welcomed center Isac Lundestrom back into the lineup Wednesday after the former first round-pick missed the season's first 36 games while recovering from an offseason Achilles injury. Lundestrom centered the Ducks third line alongside Brock McGinn and Brett Leason, finishing with two blocked shots in 10:32 of ice-time.
"Started off OK," Lundestrom said postgame. "First and second period, I think I did OK for it being the first game. Third period, lost the timing a little bit."
"Quiet, he hasn't played in a long time," Cronin said of the center's debut. "It's a tough game, to get baptized against a tough team. He'll get better."
The Ducks now welcome the Jets back to Honda Center for the second time in four weeks, hoping to flip the script on last month's meeting - a 4-2 comeback victory for Winnipeg. Anaheim claimed a two-goal lead early in the third period that night on goals by Alex Killorn and Adam Henrique, but four unanswered in the final 18 minutes of regulation for the visitors proved the difference.
"It felt like we were doing the right things," winger Max Jones said after that loss. "Just a couple of weird ones, small mishaps that end up in the back of the net...I felt like we played a pretty good game except for the start. That's the thing, it's the consistency. Just coming out right away and playing a full 60 minutes [like that]."
Since that win, in which star forward Kyle Connor was injured on a netfront collision with Anaheim's Ryan Strome, the Jets have taken off with points in nine of 10 games (7-1-2).
"They're a big, heavy, methodical team," Cronin said. "They keep you to the outside and control the inside part of the ice. We'll have our hands full."
Winnipeg heads south tonight for the back half of a California back-to-back after earning a tight 2-1 victory over the Sharks last night. Former King Gabe Vilardi broke the tie early in the third period with a power-play goal, while Connor Hellebuyck denied 27-of-28 San Jose shots.
The Jets (24-9-4, 52 points) sit one point back of Colorado for the top spot in the Central Division, with two games in hand.
