The Hockey News' Derek Lee reports from the Ducks' Saturday practice.
IRVINE, Calif. - Fresh off their 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, the Ducks were back on the ice for practice at Great Park Ice.
Ryan Strome (upper-body) and Radko Gudas (lower-body) did not skate and remain day-to-day. Mikael Granlund (lower-body) is expected to be out for two to three weeks. Head coach Joel Quenneville said that Strome joined the team at the end of their five-game, 12-day road trip and that he's been skating the last couple of days.
"(Granlund and Gudas), you're probably looking at a week or two," Quenneville said. "They're both lower-body (injuries) and I think they're both progressing. I think (Strome) is probably on the same timeline."
Leo Carlsson matched a career-high for points in a game (4) on Friday against the Red Wings and now has 15 points in 10 games.
"(He's been growing) at least leaps and at least bounds," Quenneville said. "He's been that good. He's been the 'Wow' factor here. The best thing he brings is speed through the middle of the ice. And a lot of times, he has possession of the puck. He can back defenders off and loosen up coverage, open things up for his wingers. I think that's the big threat."
"He just gets better every game," Jackson LaCombe said. We knew how good he was the last two years. He's just such a high talent. There's not much to say. He's just playing so well right now and he's carrying us in such a good way and he's playing his game. He's being confident, he's making plays and just doing what he does."
"I'm feeling good so far," Carlsson said. "Feel faster, stronger, and then some assists dropped in here and there, too. It's great to get a good start, just got to keep going like that."
There were a few tweaks to the Ducks' lines during Saturday's practice, with Frank Vatrano swapping places with Nikita Nesterenko and Jansen Harkins slotting in for Sam Colangelo. Vatrano has struggled offensively to start the season, registering just one point through 10 games. Part of that comes from no longer having consistent special teams ice time, as he did under former head coach Greg Cronin. Vatrano's ice time of 10:51 on Friday was a season low.
Chris Kreider - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Beckett Sennecke
Nikita Nesterenko - Ryan Poehling - Alex Killorn
Ross Johnston - Jansen Harkins - Frank Vatrano/Sam Colangelo
Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - Ian Moore
Lukáš Dostál | Petr Mrázek
With Granlund and Strome on the shelf, assistant coach Jay Woodcroft has tinkered with the power play units, elevating Cutter Gauthier to the top unit and using a few different players to fill his spot on the second unit. Jacob Trouba became the latest addition, taking up the left flank as a one-timer option. Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger rotated as the point man while Mason McTavish, Beckett Sennecke and Alex Killorn retained their spots.
"I think we've been scoring big goals (on the power play)," Carlsson said. "I don't know what our percentage is, but it feels like when we score goals, they're big goals, which is what a power play should do."
"I think we're just generating more chances," LaCombe said. "We have more time in the (offensive) zone, too, so that helps. I think we're all clicking together and making the right plays. Entries have been good. For us, we've just got to continue to keep that going. I think we've had a lot of chances to score even more goals. Keep getting comfortable with each other and getting used to tendencies and things like that."
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Leo Carlsson's Skating Transformed from Perceived Weakness to his Biggest Strength