The Ducks are looking to get back into the win column after going winless on their three-game road trip. They are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. This will be their first time facing the Utah Mammoth this season, who are coming off a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Nov. 14.
“It was a tough trip,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “Look at each game individually, I think there was something there we could have gotten out of each game. We left some points on the table each and every night. You could argue about this or that, what was the difference at each night? But, I think some of the plays were self-inflected wounds. I think we took some unnecessary penalties in that game (against the Wild).
“We’ve got to learn from each game. It was something that we know; it’s a tough place to win on the road. We want to take advantage of our home cooking now in this little stretch here, but at the same time, I thought every single game, we could have gotten something at the end of the night.”
“I think that all those games we had this (past) week, we could have gotten points,” Ryan Strome said. “I think we just kind of didn’t. It was a play here or there. Minnesota, we basically lose 1-0 with an empty netter and we take 14 penalty minutes. We’re in that game. They’re a good hockey team. It’s a tough road game, we couldn’t find a way to get one. The goalie was good.
“Detroit was a little bit back and forth, with some sloppiness. But every game, it’s like we’re right there. It’s not like we’re blown out of the water, we have no chance. I think every game, we arguably could have gotten a point or should have, and I think that’s the biggest thing. We don’t want to get too down on ourselves. I always say ‘Never too high, never too low,’ try to stay even-keeled. The coaching staff preached that this morning. Nice, little homestand here for the boys, hopefully start off good tonight.”
Ducks captain Radko Gudas will make his return to the lineup after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. Gudas was activated from injured reserve on Saturday and participated in warmups, but did not play.
“Feeling great,” Gudas said. “Looking forward to getting back into action with the guys.”
“You’ve got experience, you’ve got leadership as a captain,” Quenneville said on having Gudas back in the lineup. “Him coming back, he brings a presence on the ice (with) his physicality. I think we could be harder in certain areas, and I think he can give us some of that in that area as well.”
Gudas’ return makes Pavel Mintyukov the lineup casualty as the healthy scratch. Gudas will play alongside rookie Ian Moore on the third defensive pair, with Moore playing his off-side. The Harvard alumnus played his off-side numerous times during his collegiate career and also did so during this past training camp.
The Ducks are currently fourth in the league in penalty minutes per game (11.3). Discipline has been an issue in November, as the Ducks have handed their opponents three or more power play opportunities in seven of eight games this month. They killed all seven opposing power play opportunities on Saturday against the Wild, but the lack of discipline has disrupted the flow of their 5-on-5 play.
“Stick infractions in the offensive zone have got to be eliminated,” Quenneville said. “You’re going to take penalties over the course of a game or a year, and I think that the one thing at the start of the season, we have to be a better team as far as the discipline goes. The type of penalties we take, let’s emphasize that we have to get some of them out of our game. Those are the kind we’ve got to clean up.”
“I think they play with a lot of confidence,” Mammoth head coach André Tourigny said of the Ducks. “They’re competitive in battles and we knew they were coming. They’re so talented, they have a lot of really good players. Now, they’re maturing, they’re older, they have good veterans. I think they’re a good mix, and we know how good Joel is as a coach with Jay (Woodcroft) and all the group. I know they have a good coaching staff, and you can see they’re all on the same page. They’re tough to play against.”
“(This game) should be interesting,” Strome said. “We’re both really fast. We both have some high-octane offense. (They’re a team that is) a little bit similar in the way we play. I think in previous years, you’ve seen a huge contrast in the way they play and the way we play, but I think we’ve tried to ramp up our speed this year and ramp up the system we play. It should be a pretty competitive game. Hopefully, back and forth. It’s a little bit of a rivalry with these guys. The games always are a little bit chippy, so it should be a fun one tonight. It’ll be nice to be on home ice again, just try to get back in the win column.”
Anaheim will once again be without the services of Ryan Poehling (upper-body) and Mikael Granlund (lower-body). Granlund returned to the lineup on Nov. 13 against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring one of Anaheim’s three goals that night. However, he was not in the lineup on Saturday and was listed as out with a lower-body injury. Quenneville confirmed that Granlund re-aggravated the same injury in his return, his status is day-to-day.
Poehling popped up on the injury report following their game against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 11 and has not played since. His status is also day-to-day, per Quenneville.
Ducks Projected Lines
Chris Kreider – Leo Carlsson – Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier – Mason McTavish – Beckett Sennecke
Frank Vatrano – Ryan Strome – Alex Killorn
Nikita Nesterenko – Jansen Harkins – Ross Johnston
Jackson LaCombe – Drew Helleson
Olen Zellweger – Jacob Trouba
Ian Moore – Radko Gudas
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Mammoth Projected Lines
Clayton Keller – Logan Cooley – Nick Schmaltz
Michael Carcone – Barrett Hayton – Dylan Guenther
Lawson Crouse – Jack McBain – JJ Peterka
Brandon Tanev – Kevin Stenlund – Kailer Yamamoto
Mikhail Sergachev – Dmitri Simashev
Nate Schmidt – John Marino
Ian Cole – Nick DeSimone
Karel Vejmelka (projected)
