Game #20: Ducks vs. Islanders Gameday Preview (11/14/26)

The Ducks are looking to get back on the right track after having their five-game winning streak snapped by the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. They generated plenty of scoring chances, including several breakaways, but were unable to solve Predators goaltender Justus Annunen.

Anaheim currently sits third in the Pacific Division with 21 points, two points ahead of the Seattle Kraken (though the Kraken currently have two games in hand). They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and have brought their goal differential back to positive thanks to eight consecutive games with 5+ goals (this streak was also snapped in Wednesday's loss to the Predators). Wednesday was also the first time in nine games that Anaheim failed to score on the power play.

"I think we're playing fast, playing physical," Ducks forward Jeff Malott said. "The power play was really going and our depth found ways to contribute as well. We're just trying to form a bit of consistency and a bit of an identity. That was kind of something you could attribute the success to."

"There's been a lot of good things," Ducks captain Mikael Granlund said. "We've been scoring a lot. Try to keep it up, and we've been getting results, so that's the most important thing. Last game, we would like to get that back, but (we're) moving on and now we have a big weekend ahead of us."

Cutter Gauthier has scored a whopping 14 goals in the last seven games, setting historical feats that haven't been touched in over 100 years. His linemates, Granlund and Beckett Sennecke, have also been performing well of late. Granlund has a six-game point streak and is currently on pace for a career year. Sennecke has a five-game point streak and is building off of his impressive rookie campaign.

"We've been able to create some chances," Granlund said. "(I'm) playing with two really good players and Cutter has been really hot. Just try to keep it up and work hard out there."

This weekend will see the Ducks host the New York Islanders and Calgary Flames on consecutive days. This is the Ducks' final matchup of the season against both teams. They fell 3-2 to the Islanders on Oct. 20 on Long Island and currently lead the season series 2-1 against the Flames.

The Islanders are coming off a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday while the Flames will be playing the second game of a back-to-back (SEGABABA) on Sunday after facing the Kings on Saturday.

Ducks forward Troy Terry made his season debut on Wednesday after missing the first 18 games of the season while recovering from offseason hip surgery. He played just under 12 minutes in that game.

"I felt a lot better as it got on," Terry said postgame. "I thought at the end, I was starting to skate a little bit more. I can feel when I want the puck and when I'm just trying to get through the game, and I felt like I was starting to want it more there at the end (of the game). So that's what I've just gotta keep trying to find."

Based off Friday's practice line combinations, Terry will be elevated to the top line and play alongside Leo Carlsson. Head coach Joel Quenneville made a similar move towards the end of Wednesday's game, placing Terry alongside Carlsson and Alex Killorn. At Friday's practice, it was Judd Caulfield who skated alongside Carlsson and Terry on the top line, with Killorn dropping down to play alongside Malott and Tim Washe.

Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, who has yet to appear in a game this season due to left knee inflammation, will make his season debut against the Ducks. Kyle MacLean was placed on non-roster waivers on Saturday to accommodate Barzal’s activation. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who missed Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, will be a game-time decision.

The Ducks reassigned goaltender Laurent Brossoit to AHL San Diego on Friday, a slightly surprising move after Brossoit went 4-1-0 in five starts since being recalled from the AHL on Oct. 31. With the back-to-back, Lukáš Dostál and Ville Husso will likely split the two starts. Brossoit's reassignment also opens a roster spot, giving the Ducks the ability to activate Ian Moore from injured reserve. Moore has missed the entire season thus far after suffering a lower-body injury on the first day of training camp.

After being healthy scratched for the last six games, defenseman Tyson Hinds is expected to draw back into the lineup for Anaheim. He'll replace Travis Mitchell and will be paired with fellow Québécois Tristan Luneau.

Ducks Projected Lines

Judd Caulfield - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
Jeff Malott - Tim Washe - Alex Killorn
Frank Vatrano - Roger McQueen - Sam Colangelo

Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson
Pavel Mintyukov - Noah Warren
Tyson Hinds - Tristan Luneau

Lukáš Dostál (projected)

Islanders Projected Lines

Simon Holmström - Bo Horvat - Kyle Palmieri
Emil Heineman - Brayden Schenn - Victor Eklund
Ondřej Palát - Mathew Barzal - Anthony Duclair
Matias Maccelli - Casey Cizikas - Mitchell Chaffee

Logan Stanley - Matthew Schaefer
Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock
Ben Hutton - Tony DeAngelo

Semyon Varlamov (projected)