IRVINE, Calif. - In the second of four preseason matchups, the Ducks will face the Los Angeles Kings at Honda Center. This is the Ducks' only home matchup of the preseason against the Kings, with Saturday's game taking place at a neutral site in Bakersfield and the Oct. 4 matchup taking place in Los Angeles.
Several Ducks players will be making their second appearance of the preseason, including forwards Ross Johnston, Ryan Poehling, Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry. Poehling played in the first preseason matchup against the Kings on Sunday, while Johnston, Carlsson and Terry were on the scoresheet in Monday's 6-1 win against the Utah Mammoth.
Sep 22, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe (2) and left wing Ross Johnston (44) play for the puck against Utah Mammoth left wing Ben McCartney (62) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images"I bring my own brand (of hockey)," Johnston said. Nice to be able to score again, there's no doubt about that. Just play physical, control the puck down low. Implement what (the coaching staff has been) trying to teach us. Be confident with the puck down low and make some plays."
"Ross has had a good camp so far," head coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think he's playing with a purpose. Simplicity, does the little things well. He's got a presence on the ice and getting to the front of the net, I think as a team, that's something we need to be better at and improve on. If he can give us shifts like he's had so far in camp, we'll be very happy with that."
With Jansen Harkins getting another opinion on the upper-body injury he suffered in Sunday's game, there is potentially a roster spot for the taking. Johnston missed the final month of last season with an injury, allowing players like Harkins to have more of a regular spot in the lineup. Others like Nikita Nesterenko, Sam Colangelo, Tim Washe and Yegor Sidorov will be competing with Johnston for an NHL spot if Harkins' prognosis proves to be long-term.
Another player who will likely be part of the Ducks' bottom-6 is Poehling, who was acquired this past summer in the deal that sent Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers. Poehling offers versatility, speed and defensive-mindedness combined with offensive upside. He is the ideal player for the kind of fourth line that Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated his desire for this past summer.
Featured image caption: Sep 19, 2025; Irvine, California, USA; Ryan Poehling skates with the puck during a practice at Great Park Ice. Mandatory Credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News"I pride myself on a 200-foot game," Poehling said. "Defense is something that's very important to me and something that can help this team win. We've got a lot of skill guys on this team, a lot of guys who can put pucks in the back of the net, so, for myself, I think it's about just playing a 200-foot game and helping out offensively when I can, but more importantly, shutting down the other team defensively."
"Reliability, I think that's kind of his game in the middle," Quenneville said. We'll see how he goes and throughout this camp and how he can move up and down the lineup. He'll be telling us that by how he plays and how he grasps it."
After playing on separate lines on Monday, Carlsson and Terry will play on the same line on Wednesday. Cutter Gauthier will accompany them on the top line.
"They've got some speed as well," Quenneville said, acknowledging how Carlsson and Terry complement their dominance with the puck. "Cutter, they all have speed. They all have some presence offensively and can shoot the puck. I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out, because there's some chemistry that they can form that could be dangerous both on the rush and in the offensive zone. A threat whenever they're out there."
Ducks Projected Lines
Cutter Gauthier - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Chris Kreider - Mikael Granlund - Alex Killorn
Nikita Nesterenko - Ryan Poehling - Sam Colangelo
Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Yegor Sidorov
Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson
Pavel Mintyukov - Jacob Trouba
Stian Solberg - Tristan Luneau
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Kings Projected Lines
Andrei Kuzmenko - Anže Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Akil Thomas
Aatu Jämsen - Kenny Connors - Martin Chromiak
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Jared Woolley - Kyle Burroughs
Darcy Kuemper (confirmed)
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