The Ducks (13-7-1) face the Golden Knights (10-4-6) for the second time this season as Anaheim continues its six-game home stretch. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air exclusively on Victory+.
Anaheim remains atop the Pacific Division with 27 points, but Vegas is hot on its heels, tied with the Kings with 26, making tonight’s game extra important for standing within the division. The Ducks are coming off their first loss of their six-game homestand, falling 3-2 to the Senators on Thursday, which ended their six-game home win streak. Troy Terry had an opportunity to tie the game late, with Anaheim's net empty and an open Ottawa net in front of him, but his stick broke just as he took the shot.
“I thought we had a pretty solid third period, and I thought we had a lot of play,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was a tough icing (before the go-ahead goal). They got the fortunate bounce, and we got our goalie out. We have a great opportunity to make the play and made the play, and that was a tough break, no pun.”
“[We] hung in there until the last two minutes, and they got the go-ahead goal there,” said Mason McTavish, who had a goal in the loss. “It was a decent effort from us, but it would have been a lot better, obviously, if we could have got at least a point there.”
Vegas and Anaheim met earlier this month with the Ducks besting the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime. Since then, Vegas has gone 3-2-1 and won their last two contests.
“They’re a good hockey team,” Quenneville said of Vegas. “That third period there, they really had us in our end. They do a lot of good things, they’re very quick, they’re very skilled. They’re talented. They see plays [and] make plays … They’re well-rounded in all areas and this is a very meaningful game for us, as well.”
Jack Eichel leads his team with 27 points while Mitch Marner is second on the team with 21.
Puck management is going to be critical for the Ducks tonight and Frank Vatrano discussed what his team needs to do to find success in that area.
“They have one of the best D-corps in the league, they’re big, and they can all move, too,” Vatrano said. “For us, we gotta make sure to put pucks in good places. Make sure it’s not just getting into the zone but it’s gotta get behind them.”
Per Quenneville, Lukas Dostal will start in the net tonight for Anaheim.
