The Anaheim Ducks were able to score the opening goal in their first five games this season, but have not been seizing control of late in a four-game losing streak.
The Ducks will try to flip things around when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Newark, N.J.
“It’s tough when you start from behind,” Anaheim forward Frank Vatrano said. “This is a league where you’ve got to play with a lead and learn how to play with it. I think that’s where we need to start, getting off to better starts.”
The Ducks went 4-1-0 while scoring first through the first five games, then gave up the first goal in a 4-2 loss to the visiting Calgary Flames on Oct. 13.
They blew an early 2-0 lead in a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Friday and then headed East, where they dropped in back-to-back games against the New York Rangers, 5-2 on Monday, and the New York Islanders 3-2 on Tuesday.
“I think you take positives out of the (Islanders) game, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to win a hockey game,” Vatrano said. “It was a great effort by the guys, but we’ve got to find a way to get two points.”
Anaheim has shown defensive lapses at various times during its current losing streak.
Boston scored three goals in the third period after trailing by a goal through two periods.
The Rangers scored three goals in the second period after holding a one-goal lead following the first, and the Islanders scored all three of their goals in the first period.
“Over the course of the whole game, you’ve got to keep fighting away,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said.
The Devils have won three of four following their 4-3 victory against the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
Luke Evangelista had a goal and an assist after missing the previous three games with an illness. Fellow forward Connor Brown contributed an assist in his season debut after missing the first eight games with a lower-body injury.
“When we had our success (against Colorado), we were direct, we put pucks behind them, hounded their defense, and turned over pucks,” Evangelista said. “We played in the offensive zone and had a ton of looks and a ton of shots. I think that’s kind of the recipe for us going forward.”
New Jersey outshot Colorado 32-13 through two periods on Tuesday night before the Avalanche made a late push and scored two goals in the final 3 1/2 minutes to pull within one.
“Our players have to keep pushing and challenging each other to do the right things, and it’s just making the right choice,” New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’re not going to be at our best every night, but we can give ourselves every opportunity for success because we’re that good a team.
“I believe we’re going to score more than we have, but in the meantime, we keep buttoning up our defending and our checking habits and make ourselves a real tough team to beat.”