The Ducks take the ice tonight at Honda Center for the finale of a five-game homestand - a Sunday night standoff with the New York Islanders.
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Anaheim will look to bounce back from a 6-2 defeat against Dallas two nights ago, the club's third loss to its former division rival this season. The Stars raced out to an early 3-0 lead Friday, outshooting the Ducks 20-8 in the first 20 minutes and then striking again on a second-period power play to give the home side little comeback hopes.
"We were a little sleepy in the beginning," Ryan Strome said. "Just a bit of a slow start and they're a good team. If you give them 20 shots in the first period, they're going to make you pay. So I think the penalty kill could be a little bit better, but if you give them a 5-on-3, look at the talent on that unit. They're going to get one more often than not.
"Obviously, there's things we can correct but they're a good team. We had a good third period. We didn't quit. We kept playing hard until the end. I'd say that's a positive take out of it, but a lot of lessons going against a team like that, that's just such a complete team. They play the right way. They do the simple things. They're where they are in the standings for a reason."
The loss dropped Anaheim to 23-37-3 on the season and 5-7-1 since last month's NHL All-Star Break.
"I think, especially for the last little bit of the season here, it's going to be important for everyone to worry so much about wins, losses, goals and assists," Strome said. "We have to bring a consistent effort and try to keep a high standard here. I think there's a real opportunity here in the last 15 or 20 games.
"No matter who you are, whether you're an older guy, younger guy, call-up, 10-year guy, you're really trying to prove something and trying to build something towards next year. I think this games last year, we really let them go to waste. Obviously, last year is a different story but I think that's going to be our focus through the end of the year here."
After scoring in back-to-back games, Strome is now fourth among team leaders in points and goals this season - his second as a Duck.
"Had a good forecheck, good offensive zone [time] and a good deflection," Strome said of his goal against Dallas. "And then we got the other one on the power play. So you try to make plays and when you get rewarded it feels nice."
Friday's game also featured the Ducks debut of newly acquired forward Ben Meyers. Picked up from Colorado in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick, Meyers quickly arrived in Anaheim and hit the ice with his new teammates just 10 hours after the deal was announced.
"I think I was running off a little bit of adrenaline there," Meyers said. "It was a crazy day, but I'm just also excited for this opportunity. Obviously wish we would've ended up on the other end of that one, but a lot of work to be done the rest of the way here."
A two-way player with experience playing all three forward positions, Meyers has scored six goals in 54 career NHL games. A college teammate of Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe, Meyers also played under Anaheim head coach Greg Cronin last season for the AHL's Colorado Eagles.
"I thought he played a really good game," Cronin said. "He was very visible. I noticed him. He obviously had some real quality scoring chances. He skated well, protected the puck well, won a lot of faceoffs. So, I think it was a really good outing for him."
Anaheim also added to its defensive corps Friday via the waiver wire, claiming William Lagesson from Toronto. The 28-year-old appeared in 30 games with the Maple Leafs this season, posting four assists with a +5 rating.
"He's going to offer grit and competitiveness," GM Pat Verbeek said. "He's going to defend well...Our minor league team's really depleted on defense, so we looked at this as an insurance policy to make sure if there are any injuries, we don't really have to tear down or strip down our minor league team as well."
On the other side, the Isles visit Honda Center for the second leg of their three-game California road trip - which kicked off with a 7-2 win, New York's sixth straight victory, Thursday night in San Jose.
"It's a great win for us," New York head coach Patrick Roy told NHL.com's Chelena Goldman. "It’s never easy. [The Sharks] have nothing to lose and [were] pretty loose, and our guys did a good job."
A four-time Stanley Cup champion as a player and former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Roy took over behind the bench on Long Island in February and has guided the Islanders to a 9-5-3 record in his first 17 games.
"My focus has been on seeing this team playing better and better every game," Roy told media after practice on Saturday. "I'm very pleased where we are as a group."
New York (28-20-14, 70 points) sits fourth in the Metropolitan Division, two points back of the Eastern Conference's second Wild Card berth with two games-in-hand.
