Fresh off their 4-3 overtime victory against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Ducks are right back at it at home on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are coming off a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Friday.
The Ducks continue to sit at the top of the Pacific Division after Saturday’s win, increasing their points lead over the Golden Knights to three. They are just two points back of the Colorado Avalanche, who are first in the Western Conference.
Anaheimâ€s current six-game winning streak has been spearheaded by Leo Carlsson, who extended his point streak to nine games on Saturday with two goals and a primary assist on the overtime winner. He is currently second in the league in scoring.
“Leoâ€s (been) putting on a show at the start of the season,†head coach Joel Quenneville said. “(Heâ€s) showing that heâ€s taking a big step. Thereâ€s a lot of guys that we are also happy with, but Leoâ€s been leading the charge.â€
The Jets are the third team the Ducks have faced in the past week who are top-5 in the Western Conference. They are one point back of the Dallas Stars, who the Ducks beat 7-5 on Thursday.
“That second period (against Vegas), I feel like when we play our simple game and work their team in our zone, weâ€re a great team,†Carlsson said.
“It was a better start for us here,†Quenneville said after their game against the Golden Knights. “We want to make sure weâ€re not just reacting (to) the way the gameâ€s going to be played, letâ€s try to dictate it a little more. That first period pace was flying, was unreal, and weâ€re ready for that. I think thatâ€s a good sign of some progress for us that if we can start the first 10 minutes that can dictate the flow and pace of the game, that can help us.â€
There could be lineup changes abound for the Ducks in their second game of a back-to-back (SEGABABA). Quenneville said before Saturdayâ€s game that Ryan Strome, who has yet to make his season debut due to an upper-body injury he suffered during preseason, is “very close to consideration to playing.â€
Beckett Sennecke could also be a healthy scratch as the team manages his workload during his rookie season. This is the first back-to-back of the season for Anaheim and Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had hinted previously that Sennecke could go through a workload management plan similar to the one implemented by the team during Carlssonâ€s rookie season. Sam Colangelo, who has been a healthy scratch for the past four games, would draw in.
Ducks Projected Lines
Chris Kreider – Leo Carlsson – Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier – Mason McTavish – Sam Colangelo
Nikita Nesterenko – Ryan Strome – Alex Killorn
Ross Johnston – Ryan Poehling – Frank Vatrano
Jackson LaCombe – Drew Helleson
Olen Zellweger – Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov – Ian Moore
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Jets Projected Lines
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Gabe Vilardi
Vladislav Namestnikov – Jonathan Toews – Alex Iafallo
Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Nikita Chibrikov
Cole Koepke – Parker Ford – Tanner Pearson
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Logan Stanley – Neal Pionk
Haydn Fleury – Luke Schenn
Connor Hellebuyck (projected)
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