PREVIEW: Ducks Look to Keep Rolling Against Habs at Honda Center

The Ducks (34-24-3) keep the homestand going by welcoming the Canadiens (33-18-9) to Honda Center.

Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. PT and will air on KCOP-13 and Victory+.

Anaheim got back to its winning ways on Wednesday, routing the Islanders, 5-1, for its sixth win in seven games. The win kept the team second in the Pacific Division, just one point behind Vegas.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 31st goal in the win, becoming the first Duck in franchise history to score five consecutive team goals. Additionally, Beckett Sennecke scored his 20th goal of the season tying Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer for the most goals scored by a rookie this season.

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Ducks signed Ryan Poehling to a four-year extension and traded for longtime Capital John Carlson, who has 10 goals and 36 assists in 55 games this season.

While Carlson won’t be available for tonight’s game, head coach Joel Quenneville shared why the Ducks made the splash this year as compared to prior seasons.

“I think in past years here, at this time of the year, the team was in a ‘sell mode,’” Quenneville said. “I think it shows that this year, we’re excited about our opportunity to try and make the playoffs. [Carlson] adds that presence that is necessary and shows that we believe this year, let’s make that push.”

“He’s a well-experienced guy, he played a lot of big number of games,” Radko Gudas said of Carlson, who he previously played with. “He knows how to win. He knows how to shoot the puck. He sees the puck very well. He still moves very well. He can play big minutes and important minutes and he’s never losing his composure. He’s a big, experienced guy who’s gonna bring a lot of things to our blue line. His vision on power plays is something fun to watch.”

Just before the deadline, the Ducks also traded veteran forward Ryan Strome to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round pick. 

Montreal visits Anaheim in the middle of a California swing after losing to the Sharks 5-7 on Tuesday. The Habs currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Alex Newhook is on a three-game point streak (2G, 2A) while Nick Suzuki leads the team in assists (50) and points (69) while Cole Caufield paces the club with 35 goals.

Per Quenneville, Dostal will return as Anaheim’s netminder for tonight’s matchup. This is the first meeting between the teams this season. They’ll next meet in Montreal on Sunday, March 15.