Tonight’s game begins a six-game slate against Pacific Division opponents prior to the WinterOlympic break. The Ducks will see the Kraken twice within that span, closing out a four-game regular season series between the teams. As of today, Anaheim has a two-point lead over Seattle in divisional standings.
Per head coach Joel Quenneville, Dostal will get the start tonight for the Ducks making it his sixth start in the last seven games. While the workload is high, Quenneville is riding the hot hand of his goaltender, especially with the divisional slate beginning tonight.
“I think that we gotta take care of business here,” Quenneville said of tonight’s matchup in Seattle. “I think that no matter what the situation is, I think he would be getting these starts with the momentum that he has right now. It’s a good opportunity for him to get back in there.”
As for Seattle, the team got back in the win column with a 4-1 win over the Islanders on Wednesday night, ending a four-game losing skid. Matty Beniers leads the team with 32 points while Jordan Eberle paces the club in scoring (17 goals) and Vince Dunn’s 24 assists lead that category.
Radko Gudas anticipates a physical battle tonight knowing what’s at stake for both teams with Seattle holding a 2-0 advantage over Anaheim thus far this season.
“They’re a team that makes the other team feel very frustrated about their game,” Gudas said of the Kraken. “They play a physical game, they have a ton of fast skill guys … I feel like we’re doing the right things out there and it’s been working for us so we’re looking forward to continuing building on what we did the last few games. I think if we can sustain that and if we can stay out of the box against these guys, we can have success tonight.”
After missing Wednesday’s game as a late scratch, Mason McTavish (upper body) will not be available tonight yet Quenneville is “hopeful” No. 23 will return towards the end of the team’s road trip.
