The Hockey News' Derek Lee previews the Ducks' matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Ducks take on the Los Angeles Kings in their second-to-last matchup of the season. The two teams will play the final game of the season series on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The previous matchup in February was tight, with the teams trading leads and taking the game past regulation. A scoreless overtime led to the shootout, where the Kings came out with the extra point.
"Kind of two different teams, right?" said head coach Greg Cronin, referencing how the Ducks look now compared to how they did in February. The scorer (Sam Carrick) and the primary assister (Adam Henrique) of Anaheim's first goal in that game are now both playing for the Edmonton Oilers after being traded at the deadline.
Feb 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) moves the puck ahead of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas (7) during the second period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports"I'm more focused on what we did (on Sunday) against St. Louis," continued Cronin. "There seemed to be some consistency with the way we played. I thought the response after St. Louis scored the first goal like 10 seconds into the game was terrific."
"LA's a desperate team. They're trying to get points, so it's going to be a different type of game. It's a rivalry game, so there's going to be more energy to it. I'm just really excited to see how our guys respond to a playoff-type of game."
Goaltender John Gibson was on the ice for optional morning skate and is expected to backup Lukáš Dostál tonight. Gibson has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.
Feb 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) defends the goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsThree Ducks from that February matchup will miss tonight's game due to injury. Mason McTavish has not skated since suffering a lower-body injury against the Calgary Flames on Apr. 5. He is currently sporting a brace on his right knee, and Cronin lamented that McTavish's season might be cut short again. The latter missed the last game of last season with an injury.
Pavel Mintyukov (lower-body) and Max Jones (upper-body) are also out of the lineup tonight. Neither have practiced with the team since they returned home from Calgary. Jones has not played since Mar. 24 when he suffered his injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mintyukov has not played since Mar. 30 when he suffered his injury late in the game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Fast Facts:
-Leo Carlsson has three goals in his last two games. His next goal would make him the leader for most goals scored by a teenager in franchise history (13), passing Stanislav Chistov. Carlsson's two goals on Sunday made him the first teenager in franchise history with multiple multi-goal games.
-Trevor Zegras is three assists away from 100 NHL assists after a two-assist night on Sunday. He has four points (all assists) in seven games since returning from a broken ankle.
-The Ducks are 0-1-1 against the Kings this season and have been outscored 8-4 in those two games.
Ducks Projected Lines
Alex Killorn - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Frank Vatrano - Trevor Zegras - Ryan Strome
Nikita Nesterenko - Isac Lundeström - Jakob Silfverberg
Ross Johnston - Ben Meyers - Brett Leason
Cam Fowler - Olen Zellweger
Jackson LaCombe - Radko Gudas
Urho Vaakanainen - Gustav Lindström
Lukáš Dostál
Kings Projected Lines
Quinton Byfield - Anže Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore - Phillip Danault - Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Alex Laferriere
Trevor Lewis - Blake Lizotte - Akil Thomas
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov - Matt Roy
Andreas Englund - Jordan Spence
Cam Talbot