The growing pains the Anaheim Ducks experienced through several bleak seasons are finally yielding results.
As the Ducks prepare to host the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday, they are in a position not seen in years.
Anaheim woke up Monday at the top of the Pacific Division, following a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. The Ducks are on a three-game winning streak — which started with a 3-2 shootout road victory against the Panthers last week — and have won five of their last six games.
The kids are leading the way, too. Leo Carlsson, the second pick of the 2023 draft, is riding a career-best six-game point streak in which he has collected 10 points (three goals, seven assists), while Cutter Gauthier is also on a six-game run (four goals, five assists).
But Anaheim’s veterans are also playing a big role, with players like Chris Kreider scoring six goals in seven games, four of which came on the power play.
To cap it off, goaltender Lukas Dostal was named the league’s first star of the week.
“Everybody (is) contributing in a lot of ways,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “I thought there was a lot of pace in the game (against New Jersey), a lot of excitement in the game, a lot of unpredictability, some skill (and) great saves at both ends.”
And momentum seems to be growing within the lineup. Frank Vatrano, a top-line player during the leanest of seasons, is now a third-line player and finally scored his first goal of the season against the Devils.
“The team’s winning,” Vatrano said. “No matter what you’re going through, you’ve got to be a good teammate, and no matter how many minutes you’re playing, you got to be there for the guys in this room.”
The Panthers arrive riding a wave of positive momentum. They struggled in the first couple of weeks of the season but are starting a four-game road trip after going 3-1-1 in their last five.
Their latest victory was a 4-3 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Injuries to key players like Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk undoubtedly contributed to the team’s inconsistent start, but the Panthers believe they are headed in the right direction.
“The things that we’re trying to get better at, we got much better at,” coach Paul Maurice said. “We’ve still got some work to do, but we saw some pieces.”
The main focus is on defense, which is expected without Barkov, who is considered the league’s best two-way forward.
Having kept the Ducks and a pair of league heavyweights in Dallas and Vegas to a combined five goals over the past three games, the Panthers can see a positive trend.
“Our defensive game has been really good, for the most part,” forward Sam Bennett said. “We’re just going to keep building on everything.”
Offensively, Florida is finding life a bit tougher without those aforementioned stars, but with Bennett netting his second of the season against Dallas, Brad Marchand continuing to defy Father Time and Sam Reinhart riding a four-game goal-scoring streak, the offensive touch remains potent.
Reinhart’s goal in the last game was the 300th of his career.
“Hopefully there are a few more that go in for me now and 300 is not where it stops,” he said. “I have plenty of hockey left.”
–Field Level Media
