Game #14: Ducks vs. Senators Gameday Preview (11/01/26)

November is often used as a barometer for whether a team's playoff chances are realistic or not. The Ducks sit on the precipice of that on the first of the month, five points out of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. After a 4-1-0 start to the season, they've won just one of their last eight games.

"I think we're a little disconnected right now," Cutter Gauthier said after Friday's 7-6 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. "I think the biggest thing right now is just simplifying things, playing a predictable game so everyone can read off each other really well. I think it's just a little bit disconnected."

Head coach Joel Quenneville has never been afraid to throw his lines in a blender when things aren't going well. But the frequent rotations may be preventing his players from creating synergy. The hope is the most recent tweaks––which include reuniting a line which worked well in A.J. Greer, Tim Washe and Sam Colangelo––can create some momentum to close out the three-game homestand.

"On a need basis, we visit moving the lines around," Quenneville said. "But that predictability, you like the way (the forwards are) working together. They seem to read off one another. They've got the puck in the offensive zone, generating chances. They've got their own zone figured out, and that's part of the battle."

Sunday's opponent, the Ottawa Senators, are third in the Atlantic Division with 19 points. They're coming off an emphatic 5-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Goaltender Laurent Brossoit was recalled from AHL San Diego on Friday and was one of three Ducks goaltenders who participated in Friday's practice. Per Quenneville, Brossoit will start Sunday's game. This move serves as a wake-up call for the team after they conceded 5+ goals in each of the last three games.

"It's an opportunity," Quenneville replied when asked about the decision to start Brossoit. Neither Lukáš Dostál nor Ville Husso is dealing with any pronounced injury. It's unknown at this time which goaltender will be the backup for Sunday's game. In six AHL games this season with the San Diego Gulls, Brossoit is 2-4-0 with a .910 SV% and 2.56 GAA.

Opposing Brossoit will be Jonas Johansson, who was recalled from AHL Belleville on Oct. 22 after Linus Ullmark was placed on injured reserve. Johansson was chased from the game in his last start after giving up four goals on 16 shots against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 29. The Senators eventually erased the 5-1 deficit, earning a point before falling 6-5 in overtime.

Staying out of the box will be a big focus for the Ducks in this one. They've given opposing teams 17 power play opportunities in the last three games. In their game on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres, they conceded three power play goals on four opportunities.

Reinforcements could be on the way soon for Anaheim, as defenseman Ian Moore and winger Troy Terry both skated with the team for the first time this season. Both players have yet to appear in a game this season as they continue to recover from injury.

"I feel great," Moore, who suffered a lower-body injury during training camp, said. "It's been fun watching them, but you want to be out there, so it was awesome to be back out with the guys and just feel a little more normal again."

"It was just fun to be back with the guys and just feel like part of the team again and have someone try and take the puck from me," Terry, who is recovering from offseason hip surgery, said. "I've been skating by myself for a long time, so it's nice to just kind of get back into the speed of things. I felt pretty good, so just still working towards it."

"I think it helped the pace of our practice," Quenneville said of Moore and Terry's inclusion. "I thought we had great energy out there, great jump. Those guys have a nice purpose to their game, and you notice it in some of the drills. We're trying to work on how we're going to be in the middle of the ice. Those guys are pretty studious as far as how they present themselves in their game and that could help us, sharing that type of experience as well."

Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov is expected to make his return to the lineup after missing the past four games due to a lower-body injury. The Ducks placed Nick Jensen on waivers on Saturday in order to open up a roster spot for Mintyukov's activation from injured reserve. With Jensen clearing waivers on Sunday, he will now be assigned to AHL San Diego.

Ducks Projected Lines

Alex Killorn - Leo Carlsson - Judd Caulfield
Cutter Gauthier - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
A.J. Greer - Tim Washe - Sam Colangelo
Jeff Malott - Roger McQueen - Nikita Nesterenko

Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson
Pavel Mintyukov - Noah Warren
Travis Mitchell - Tristan Luneau

Laurent Brossoit (confirmed)

Senators Projected Lines

Fabian Zetterlund - Tim Stützle - Dylan Cozens
Philip Tomasino - Shane Pinto - Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio - Ridly Greig - Claude Giroux
Nick Cousins - Stephen Halliday - Xavier Bourgault

Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven - Nikolas Matinpalo

Jonas Johansson (confirmed)