Ducks face Sharks shorthanded. Vatrano, Gudas, and Strome are out, but Nikita Nesterenko returns to bolster the struggling lineup.
As the calendar year of 2026 winds down, the Anaheim Ducks are in a bit of a spiral, having lost five of their last eight games and having only registered five of 16 standings points during that stretch.
They have three more home games this week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, before heading out on a four-game road trip to the opposite coast. The first of those home games will be this evening against a San Jose Sharks team that sits just five points behind the Ducks in the Pacific Division standings.
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It will seem as though the Ducks will be without a trio of veterans for tonight’s game, as Frank Vatrano left Saturday’s 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings with an apparent upper-body injury early in the third period and did not participate in Monday’s morning skate. Also absent from morning skate was Ducks captain Radko Gudas, who will miss the game with an illness. Ryan Strome rounded out that trio, who is projected to serve his third game as a healthy scratch this season.
“Frankie, we don’t have a complete diagnosis yet,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after morning skate. “We’ll see, he might miss a little bit of time, but we’ll know more later today.”
Vatrano has had his struggles this season, the first of a three-year contract extension that carries an AAV of $4.57 million. He has tallied just six points (3-3=6) in 38 games this season, a far cry from his first three years with the organization, where he totalled 41, 60, and 45 points, respectively.
Ryan Strome has had trouble carving out a role for himself under a new coaching staff and play style. Though the underlying numbers are favorable (the Ducks account for 60.55% of the expected goals share when he’s on the ice at 5v5, a team-high), he’s only produced six points (2-4=6) in 20 games this season. Far less than his 41-point average in his first three seasons with Anaheim.
Radko Gudas had a difficult season a year ago, but his form has been much improved in the first half of the 2025-26 season. The Ducks account for 48.76% of the expected goals share with him on the ice at 5v5, and he’s tallied eight points (1-7=8) in 27 games.
Nikita Nesterenko will re-enter the Ducks lineup. He hasn’t played since Nov. 30, a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. He has eight points (1-7=8) in 23 games this season.
“He had some good stretches there when he started the season and gave us a different look,” Quenneville said. “You can use him in a couple different ways; kill penalties, different sides of the ice. We got caught in the numbers game, but he’s been diligent every single day, waiting for this opportunity, probably longer than we could have or should have. At the same time, we’re happy to have him back in there and give him a chance to play.”
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