For their final game of the 2025 calendar year, the Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning], who were kicking off their three-game California road trip. The Ducks were hoping to stop the bleeding and halt their three-game losing streak and reclaim a top-two spot in the Pacific Division. On the opposite bench, Tampa was looking to extend their four-game winning streak and take over first place in the Atlantic. Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Loss to the Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/game-day/takeaways-from-the-ducks-5-4-loss-to-the-sharks] Breaking News: Trio of Ducks Veterans to Miss Game against Sharks, Nikita Nesternko Returns to Lineup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/breaking-news-trio-of-ducks-veterans-to-miss-game-against-sharks-nikita-nesternko-returns-to-lineup] The Ducks coaching staff made some minor lineup tweaks, switching up their defensive pairs and scratching Ryan Strome in favor of Ross Johnston on the fourth line. Here’s how they lined up to start this game: Gauthier-Carlsson-Granlund Kreider-McTavish-Sennecke Nesterenko-Poehling-Terry Johnston-Harkins-Killorn LaCombe-Trouba Mintyukov-Moore Zellweger-Helleson Lukas Dostal got the start in the Ducks' net and stopped 25 of 29 shots. He was opposed by Andrei Vasilevskiy, who saved 25 of 28. “I think the game was very competitive from the outset there, and it was two points on the line at the end,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “Overtime could have gone any way, but we kept battling back, (and) killed a couple of big penalties in the third.” GAME NOTES On the surface, this game was a bit sleepy from the outset, with the Ducks clearly attempting to focus their attention on details and simple plays. Anaheim has been afflicted by the same net front and transition mistakes since the start of the season, with a few flashes of polish in those areas. This game looked as if those issues would continue to pop up, but were, for the most part, eliminated as the game went on. From an underlying perspective, this was a low-event hockey game with Anaheim winning the 5v5 shot attempt battle 47-41, the shots on goal battle finishing in an 18-18 tie, and with Tampa Bay winning the expected goals battle 1.77-1.66. Rush Defense: Especially early in this contest, miscommunications between defensemen and the backchecking forwards led to several quality chances for Tampa Bay. The first forward back wound up pressuring the puck too aggressively, leaving the opposing trailing forward or defenseman open high in the zone, with downhill speed, and space to get a clean shot off. Power Play: The Anaheim power play finally converted on one of their three chances in this game, but it wasn’t pretty or by design. The top unit had difficulty setting up their umbrella after entry, especially attempting to move pucks along from the flank when pressured and when outs weren’t apparent. The Ducks are simplifying their approach with the man-advantage, becoming more stationary within their structure, and altering their personnel as they try to find the right fits for their most offensively talented players. Leo Carlsson: Carlsson’s only tallied one point (an assist) in his last six games. Beyond the scoresheet, he’s struggling to impact games in the same manner that made him one of the most dominant players through the first month of the season. The positioning and angling details were improved in this game as opposed to his performance against the San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks] on Monday, but opponents are converging on him when he touches pucks in the neutral zone and he isn’t able to build the speed he once did. He’ll need to search for soft ice in the offensive zone by moving his feet off-puck and find new ways to contribute. Nikita Nesterenko: Nesterenko, in his second game back in the lineup after being scratched for nearly a month, has no designs on returning to the press box any time soon. His speed and stick are factors on the forecheck, and he blended tenacity with skill to manufacture his own chances in this game. He’s becoming a true complementary depth piece for a skilled player like Troy Terry. Chris Kreider: Kreider, like Carlsson, is in a slump and struggling to impact shifts as he did early in the season. He’s only produced a single assist in his last 11 games, and isn’t the imposing, dominant power forward below the circles he was in the first month. If he doesn’t have that part of his game firing, he’s a non-factor at 5v5, a step behind, and sometimes coasting or heavy-footed on forechecks and rush attacks. The only area he’s remained positively impactful has been on breakouts, where he’s a reliable outlet for defenders and can be trusted to keep pucks moving north. The Ducks will look to start the new year in the win column on Friday, when they’ll host Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild] before heading out on another four-game East Coast road trip. Ryan Poehling Starting to Find Offensive Impact to Pair with Defensive Prowess [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/players/ryan-poehling-starting-to-find-offensive-impact-to-pair-with-defensive-prowess] Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report (12/18/25) [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/quack-of-dawn-ducks-morning-report-12-18-25]
