The red-hot Anaheim Ducks look to extend their home winning streak to seven games when the Winnipeg Jets visit on Friday.
The Ducks have won three straight overall and 10 of the last 12. That sterling streak includes six consecutive wins in their own rink, which bodes well for the remainder of a season-long nine-game homestand.
Even the NHL’s three-week Olympic hiatus couldn’t slow down the Ducks, though the team had plenty of shaky moments in Wednesday’s 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Anaheim had to come back from three deficits and never led until Cutter Gauthier broke a 5-5 tie with 1:14 left in regulation.
Such a wild game “kind of jolts us back into where we were” before the Olympic break, Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba said.
“I think going down two twice and coming back is something to really pull from this game,” Trouba said. “I think that speaks a lot about the group and I guess the character we’re building in the room.”
The victory kept Anaheim five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division.
The Ducks are simultaneously chasing a division title and trying to stay above the playoff cutline in the Western Conference’s crowded race.
Winnipeg isn’t out of that race yet, though the Jets sit 11 points behind Anaheim and nine points out of playoff position entering Thursday’s action. They escaped with a critical comeback victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, winning 3-2 without having led prior to Cole Perfetti’s overtime goal.
Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi each scored on Wednesday, and Mark Schiefele assisted on both of their goals. The three forwards were back playing on the same line, as Jets coach Scott Arniel said he “knew that coming down the stretch here, we’re going to need their offense.”
“They were real good right from the get-go … with that chemistry that they have,” Arniel said. “But the thing I liked about (Connor) is he’s one of our best trackers. He’s one of the guys that pours back on that line and helps to defend. He’s a real solid two-way player for us.”
Scheifele has nine points (two goals, seven assists) and Connor has seven points (three goals, four assists) over their concurrent six-game point streaks.
Gauthier is on a three-game scoring streak and leads the Ducks in goals (26) and points (50).
Since backup Petr Mrazek sustained a season-ending hip injury in early January, Lukas Dostal is 9-3-0 over 12 starts with a .912 save percentage. The Ducks could keep rolling with Dostal, Czechia’s Olympic starter, on Friday or give Ville Husso his first action since Jan. 26.
After his superstar performance for the United States’ Olympic gold-medal-winning team, Connor Hellebuyck is expected to return to Winnipeg’s lineup on Friday. The Jets started Eric Comrie against Vancouver to give Hellebuyck a bit of extra rest after his hectic Olympic schedule.
Leo Carlsson and Beckett Sennecke both scored twice when the Ducks beat the Jets 4-1 in Anaheim on Nov. 9 in their first meeting of the season.
–Field Level Media
