From one back-to-back set of games to another, the Ducks traveled north to face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday ahead of their home game against the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
The Ducks managed to extract a solitary point from their meetings with the Kings and Nashville Predators over the weekend, which Coach Greg Cronin lamented, saying his club “deserved better,” particularly than it got in its regulation loss to Nashville at home.
Now, Cronin said his group’s goal was to have a winning record in March, which would mark the first time since a 5-4-0 October in which the Ducks finished a calendar month in the black this season. He hoped to continue to improve on the forecheck, where the Ducks have been able to generate more offensive-zone time of late.
“We are continuing to find ways to become a puck-possession team,” Cronin said via text. “This usually starts with breaking out of your own zone efficiently and getting through the neutral zone vertically. This behavior usually leads to a hunting mentality where we can recover pucks on the forecheck or into the zone cleanly on rushes.”
Forward Isac Lundeström, who tallied against Nashville and made some key defensive plays versus the Kings, emphasized strong starts and even efforts.
“We have to come out hunting the D and playing a simple game. We’ve also got to find a way to do it over 60 minutes,” Lundeström said after the loss to the Predators.
The Ducks have taken two of three showdowns from the Sharks this season and beaten the Devils in their only clash. Former Devil Adam Henrique’s first career hat trick powered the Ducks past New Jersey in Newark on Dec. 17. In that same game, Troy Terry tallied.
Terry sustained an upper-body injury against the Kings and missed the match against Nashville, but did travel to San Jose, making him a possibility to return Thursday. Terry also scored the equalizer and set up the game-winner for Frank Vatrano, who had two goals in the Ducks’ first victory over the Sharks on Nov. 12, in the Ducks’ 3-2 rally past San Jose on Jan. 31.
Trevor Zegras, who tied Terry for the team lead in goals last season, appeared to be progressing toward a return from a broken ankle that required surgery. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Zegras has no longer needed crutches and that he could resume skating shortly.
Tomáš Hertl’s 34 points lead the Sharks, and that represents the lowest total for a team leader among the NHL’s 32 franchises. That’s partly because he underwent a surgical procedure on his left knee earlier this month that has left him with week-to-week status. He joined captain Logan Couture on injured reserve. Couture missed 45 games because of a condition that inflamed a joint between his pubic bones, and that same condition has put him back on the shelf after just six games, including a 5-3 win over the Ducks on Jan. 20 and that 3-2 loss 11 days later.
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The Devils have been without top defenseman Dougie Hamilton for 39 games and counting after he tore a pectoral muscle. They’ve also had issues in net exacerbated by the recent absence of Vitek Vanecek (lower-body). Up front, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier may appear on the marquee, but Jesper Bratt has led New Jersey in points while former King Tyler Toffoli tops the team in goals.
Ducks at Sharks
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: SAP Center, San Jose
TV: Bally Sports SoCal
New Jersey at Ducks
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Honda Center
TV: Bally Sports West