The Ducks (21-20-3) head to Buffalo for the final game of their four-game road trek as they take on the Sabres (23-15-4).
Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. PT and will air on Victory+ and KCOP-13.
Anaheim is still looking for its first win since Dec. 20 as the team most recently fell to the Hurricanes, 5-2, on Thursday night. Ryan Poehling and Mikael Granlund scored in the loss.
With the Ducks falling out of playoff contention for the first time since early October, head coach Joel Quenneville noted how critical it is for his team to course correct through consistency.
“There’s a lot of areas we’ve got to get better and more consistent in,” Quenneville said. “Whether it’s the mindset or the confidence in doing it, but there’s gotta be an urgency for us to change the momentum.”
Buffalo heads into this game off a 5-2 victory over the Rangers. The Sabres are one of the hottest teams in hockey right now, winning 12 of their last 13 games.
With these two teams seemingly heading in different ways as of late, Quenneville noted how tonight’s game could be a great opportunity for the Ducks to get back on track.
“They’re on a roll,” Quenneville said of Buffalo. “They’re in the opposite direction we are when we started and they’re in an opposite direction than we are right now. The roles are reversed and give them credit [for] how they’ve turned it around. We’re looking forward to doing what we can to get back on track and look at how quickly you can turn your season around.”
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff noted caution when discussing the Ducks saying he knows what it’s like when a team’s had a downward stretch, noting it only makes you a more hungry and dangerous team to your opponent.
“I think we’re going to see a really desperate team tonight, for sure,” Ruff said. “I think they’re physical, they’ve got some big players. They’ve got some defense that can punish you, too. We’re going to have to be on top of our game plan; playing the game fast, get the pucks in behind, winning footraces. But they’ve got skill, they’ve got size, and there’s not game where you can take anyone for granted and we’re certainly not going to take these guys for granted.”
This is the first meeting between the Ducks and Sabres this season. The two teams will meet again in Anaheim on March 22.
