Despite dominant analytics and a barrage of shots, critical defensive lapses allowed the Sharks to capitalize, extending the Ducks' woes.
With hopes of ending a two-game skid, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the San Jose Sharks in a Pacific Division matchup on Monday night at Honda Center.
The Ducks were coming off a tough loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, their first game after returning from the holiday break. They were looking to stop the bleeding a bit, as they entered this game having lost five of their last eight games and had only registered five points in the standings during that stretch.
Game #39: Ducks vs. Sharks Gameday Preview (12/29/25)
The Sharks had just ended a three-game losing streak of their own with a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The Ducks had a five-point lead on San Jose heading into Monday and sat in second place in the Pacific Division, with the Sharks on the playoff bubble.
Radko Gudas (illness) and Frank Vatrano (upper-body) were held out of the lineup in this game, as was Ross Johnston, who served as a healthy scratch. Nikita Nesterenko returned to the lineup for the first time in the month of December after being a healthy scratch for 14 straight games.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Kreider-Carlsson-Granlund
Gauthier-McTavish-Sennecke
Nesterenko-Poehling-Terry
Killorn-Harkins-Strome
LaCombe-Helleson
Zellweger-Trouba
Mintyukov-Moore
The Ducks turned to starter Lukas Dostal in net, who saved just five of nine shots before he was pulled from the game. Dostal was relieved by Petr Mrazek, who stopped three of just four shots in 23:56.
In the San Jose net stood starter Yaroslav Askarov, who saved 38 of 42 shots.
Game Notes
Analytics will suggest this game was one of the Ducks' most dominant efforts of the season. At 5v5, they outshot San Jose 35-11, held a 63-31 shot attempt advantage, and held a 77.15% share of the expected goals (4.76-1.41). They were able to generate chances at a much improved rate than in recent past and in a variety of ways.
For the most part, they were able to bottle plays in the neutral zone and break pucks out of their end efficiently. However, in what has been the case for most of the season, the Ducks continue to make critical mistakes at critical moments in critical areas of the ice that put them behind the eight ball and in a hole they had to attempt to dig themselves out of.
Pressure: The identity that the Dukcs are striving for defensively is to pressure the puck over the entire ice surface to force pucks off the sticks of their opponents as quickly as possible. It’s proven to work in spells and especially with Joel Quenneville's teams of the past, but it requires complete cohesion, support, and trust from all five defenders on the ice at a particular time.
At times, it may benefit the team to play a tad more passively. Unsuccessful pinches, overcommitment to the puck on 2v1s, and mistimed secondary support all led to goals against in this game. When pucks move cross-ice, defensemen are often too quick to engage without ensuring the middle of the ice is accounted for.
Drew Helleson: Helleson’s archetype suggests he is a stable and reliable complementary defenseman. Much like with the Ducks as a whole this season, he plays that role well for 95% of the time, but is prone to a parlous mistake that leads directly to a goal. He’s fundamentally stable enough to play passively and remain as disruptive as necessary within the system, and his pitfalls occur when he pursues more heavily than his skillset is built for.
Leo Carlsson: Carlsson is one of the better F2 and F3 forecheckers on the Ducks, and his ability to diagnose opposing breakouts has led to several turnovers this season. He has the capability to become a dominant two-way center who can be relied on in a defensive role as well as his offensive one. However, he needs to display more tenacity in engaging in board battles, especially as a support. When pucks move off the wall, he can become too puck-focused rather than eliminating options and lanes, something he excels at in the other two zones of the ice.
Beckett Sennecke/Troy Terry: Sennecke is still prone to a rookie mistake or two per game. In this game, it was on San Jose’s third goal, where he didn’t read the pinching defender, causing a turnover between the tops of the defensive circles. Despite those instances, Sennecke and Terry are the Ducks currently the most consistent and impactful play-drivers, especially on the cycle, where they singlehandedly provide the necessary “half-court offense” the Ducks have been needing since teams began adjusting to their desire for rush offense.
They are the pair that keeps their feet moving with the puck on their sticks, manipulating opposing defenders and creating soft ice for their teammates to fill and present themselves as dangerous options. When they skate pucks from low to high, defenders are given the green light to activate, which disrupts the defensive structure, ultimately creating new seams and lanes.
Nikita Nesterenko: Nesterenko returned to the lineup and wasted no time making an impact on his line. He and center Ryan Poehling provided an abundance of speed and disruption on the forecheck and breakouts. He evaded probing sticks through the neutral zone and even created a couple of shooting lanes for himself in transition.
Ian Moore: Moore blends his high-level processing and high motor to pressure pucks quickly, with the ability to backtrack and recover when necessary. His skating and retrieval skills alleviate pressure on his partner, who has more open ice to operate and impact play. In this game, Pavel Mintyukov was the benefactor and took advantage.
The Ducks will be back at it for their last game of the calendar year of 2025 on Wednesday, when they’ll host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Ryan Poehling Starting to Find Offensive Impact to Pair with Defensive Prowess