Having started the season with four wins in five outings, the Anaheim Ducks are feeling good about themselves heading into Tuesday’s home clash with the struggling Calgary Flames.
However, this game likely comes with a higher degree of difficulty. The Ducks will likely begin a brief two-game homestand without a pair of key forwards who were both injured last game.
Cutter Gauthier left in the middle of the first period of Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the Flames with an upper-body injury. Ryan Poehling departed early in the third period when he crashed into the net while scoring the game-winning goal on a short-handed rush. Poehling’s knee slammed into the iron, and he needed help getting to the room.
Both are listed as day-to-day, but Poehling did not practice on Monday and Gauthier skated in early drills before leaving the ice when the session ramped up.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed,” coach Joel Quenneville said.
Regardless of their status, Anaheim will look to continue its strong start and recent success against the Flames when the clubs play the second half of a home-and-home set.
The Ducks have won five of the last six meetings between the Pacific Division foes. Skating on the second night of a back-to-back road trip following a win over the Winnipeg Jets, the Ducks endured an extremely close game.
“We maybe gave up a little too much, but I think in the end we found a way to win, and that’s what good teams do,” forward Alex Killorn said.
The Flames are not only looking for their first win of the season, but they also are on a quest for their first standings point of the campaign.
Calgary has lost five straight in regulation, the worst start in franchise history, and sits at the bottom of the league standings.
Saturday’s loss to the Ducks, in which the Flames outshot Anaheim and generated plenty of scoring chances while the game was up for grabs, may have provided positive momentum.
“Every game since (Game 1) we’ve taken steps in the right direction,” coach Ryan Huska stated after Monday’s practice. “A lot of the areas that we’ve asked the players to focus on (have improved). Our last game … we did a lot of good things. It’s about building on those things.”
That said, there are many areas in which the club must improve dramatically. Calgary has been outscored 27-8 in those five defeats and has surrendered four or more goals in every outing.
The Flames have held a lead in only one game, and they still lost 4-1 to the Vancouver Canucks by surrendering four goals in the third period.
Turning a corner and keeping a positive frame of mind are goals for the young squad.
“There’s a time and place to keep it light and to work harder. Today is an opportunity, I think, to keep it positive,” forward Ryan Strome said. “Last game, I thought we played really well.”
On Monday, the team announced that rookie Sam Honzek, a 2023 first-round draft choice, was out of action on a week-to-week basis due to a lower-body injury. Honzek missed most of last season with an upper-body injury.