At roughly the one-quarter mark of the season, the Anaheim Ducks are in a position that few hockey pundits could have predicted: atop the Pacific Division standings.
As the Ducks prepare to host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, they have won two straight games overall and six in a row at home.
Their most recent victory is a testament to how far the Ducks have come. Anaheim recovered from surrendering a two-goal lead thanks to defenseman Ian Moore’s winning tally with 3:35 remaining in the third period of a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
“Coach always says that finding ways to win is a skill, and I think we’re finding that,” forward Ryan Strome, who scored his first goal of the season, said in reference to Anaheim’s Joel Quenneville. “We did just enough, and I thought we competed real hard. Execution wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take the two points.”
The Ducks, who will play home games on consecutive nights, have won seven of eight contests in Anaheim this season.
It took a huge tide-turning to pull out the win vs. Boston. The Ducks scored on their first shot and held a 3-1 lead late in the second period, only to squander it. However, after the Bruins pulled even, Anaheim regained the momentum to earn the victory.
“We played our best hockey when they tied it up,” Quenneville said.
With goaltender Lukas Dostal having played against the Bruins, Petr Mrazek likely will get the nod in net vs. Ottawa. Mrazek has won three of four starts this season.
The Senators will kick off a seven-game road swing looking to return to the win column after falling 1-0 at home to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
“We want to start off the road trip on a good note,” defenseman Jake Sanderson said after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s a long road trip. A lot of time in the air traveling and whatnot. We’ve got to get our feet under us early in the road trip.”
It appears the clash will mark the debut of 2022 fourth-round draft pick Stephen Halliday. He was summoned from the minors and is pegged to suit up with center Lars Eller likely to miss the clash due to injury.
Halliday has 16 points (one goal, 15 assists) in 15 games this season with Belleville of the American Hockey League.
“I’ve just continued to carry off from last year, holding onto pucks, trying to make plays,” said Halliday, who led Belleville with 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) last season. “But I think I’ve tried to get a little bit stronger, use my body a little bit more, and the little bit of details that will help me get (to the NHL).”
Ottawa is anticipating another boost during the trip as captain Brady Tkachuk practiced fully on Wednesday. He had thumb surgery after sustaining an injury in the third game of the season.
“I’ve been doing a ton of skating, so I feel like my skating and conditioning is probably in the best spot,” Tkachuk said. “It’s all about getting that battle and compete, in the corners and around the net, and building that up, so when I get back in a game it’s just an easy transition.”
