After back-to-back setbacks against the Kings and Islanders, the Ducks will need to get going offensively to earn two critical standings points tonight. Anaheim is 1-2-0 halfway through its season-long six-game homestand, with just a lone goal in last two games.
The Ducks were shutout for the fourth time this season Sunday night vs. New York.
"I did think we had some chances to score, but their goalie was on point and it seemed like everything we threw at their net either he saw or got blocked," head coach Dallas Eakins said. "I like that we're trying to shoot the puck, but we've got to get them through. When the opportunities are there, we've got to finish them."
"They're known as a solid defensive team and they take care of their own end, so we knew it was going to be difficult," defenseman Cam Fowler added. "We couldn't find a way to get one going and it's as simple as that. They capitalized on their chances and we didn't capitalize on ours."
Anaheim sits fifth in the Pacific Division (.536 point %) with 27 games remaining on the regular season schedule, eighth against divisional opponents.
"We're not sneaky up on anybody anymore," Eakins said. "They know where our offense lies and it lies with a few guys...We don't need to complicate things. I thought we played a simpler game [Sunday]. It was a step in the right direction but we didn't get results. That will be a real emphasis here."
The Ducks won the season's first meeting with the Bruins, at TD Garden in January, a 5-3 victory in which five different Ducks scored, Hampus Lindholm notched three assists and John Gibson made 23 saves. That game marked the last appearance by longtime Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask, who announced his retirement days later due to lingering issues from offseason hip surgery. Rask holds the Bruins all-time records for games played (564) and wins (308) by a goaltender.
The Bruins visit Honda Center tonight for the first time since February 2019 fresh off a 7-0 rout of the Kings last night in LA. Winger Jake Debrusk scored his first career hat trick while seven Bruins registered multi-point games. The Bruins victory marked their fifth straight, moved the club within six points of third place Toronto and also snapped the Kings' own five-game winning streak.
The Ducks will likely face first-year Bruin netminder Linus Ullmark tonight after 23-year-old Jeremy Swayman stopped all 33 Kings shots for his fifth career shutout last night.
Like in any meeting against the Bruins, the Ducks will have to pay especially close attention to explosive winger David Pastrnak, who has 6-5=11 points in 11 career games against Anaheim, including a four-goal outburst in 2019.
