The Hockey News' Derek Lee previews the Ducks' matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
After beating the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Wednesday, the Ducks are right back at it on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators on Hockey Fights Cancer Night. A win against the Senators would give the Ducks a three-game win streak.
“Winning at home is important,” Ryan Strome said after their win against the Bruins. “We’ve got a great record here. Our fans have come out really strong this year and supported us. You could just tell by the enthusiasm. It’s so great to see, and they're so excited for us.
“Ottawa’s a hungry team right now and they're going to be well-rested, waiting for us, so we've got to be ready to go. It’s going to be another tough game, so try to get some rest here and get ready to go. crack some things. All in all, finding ways to win, especially on home ice, is so key. Trying to carry that (into) tomorrow is huge.”
Takeaways from the Ducks' 4-3 Win over the Bruins
Ducks defeat Bruins with clutch play and timely adjustments. Dostal's stellar goaltending paves the way for crucial offensive chances.
Petr Mrázek is expected to start for Anaheim after Lukáš Dostál started and made 36 saves against the Bruins. Any lineup changes for Anaheim won’t be known until warmups due to no morning skate, but defenseman Pavel Mintyukov will likely be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game.
Late Wednesday night, a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that Mintyukov would prefer to be traded if he continues to be scratched.
The Senators will be without Thomas Chabot, Olle Lycksell, Ridly Greig and captain Brady Tkachuk. Chabot, Lycksell and Tkachuk are all on injured reserve while Greig is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Ducks forward Chris Kreider will play in his 900th game, his 17th with the Ducks after spending the previous 13 seasons with the New York Rangers. Kreider has added a much-needed netfront presence to the Ducks after coming over from the Rangers as an offseason acquisition this past June. He helped create the game-tying goal on Monday against the Utah Mammoth and the game-winning goal on Wednesday against the Bruins.
Ducks Projected Lines
Chris Kreider- Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Beckett Sennecke
Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Alex Killorn
Ross Johnston - Jansen Harkins - Nikita Nesterenko
Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba
Ian Moore - Radko Gudas
Petr Mrázek (projected)
Senators Projected Lines
David Perron - Tim Stützle - Drake Batherson
Lars Eller - Dylan Cozens - Fabian Zetterlund
Michael Amadio - Shane Pinto - Claude Giroux
Nick Cousins - Stephen Halliday - Hayden Hodgson
Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven - Jordan Spence
Nikolas Matinpalo - Nick Jensen
Linus Ullmark (confirmed)