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Leaping from one division leader to another, the Ducks will have an opportunity to rebound from Wednesday’s loss to Pacific-topping Vegas in a duel with the Central-pacing Minnesota Wild on Friday.
The Ducks fell 4-1 to the Golden Knights, their third loss to Vegas this season. Now, to get to .500 both at the close of their four-game homestand and for the campaign to date, they’ll contend with a Wild club that beat them 5-2 back on Nov. 8.
Not only has Minnesota won three straight games against the Ducks, but they’ve prevailed in 16 of the past 17 meetings.
Exacerbating an already difficult matchup will likely be some key absences for the Ducks. They’ve been without Leo Carlsson (upper body) for four games and now could face an extended period without another creative force and vibrant personality. Trevor Zegras sustained a lower-body injury Wednesday and required help to get off the ice.
Coach Greg Cronin said the absences of perhaps his two most talented playmakers would lead the Ducks to simplify their game, but in a way that was a logical extension of their existing ethos.
“When you lose any player, it disrupts the flow. We’re not giving any different directions whether Z is in or out, or Leo’s in or out, we’re trying to play the same way,” Cronin said. “The simplification is really what we’re trying to follow as far as getting pucks out of our zone and into their zone.”
He pointed to moments against Vegas where there were battles lost inside the defensive blue line that sapped energy and limited possessions Wednesday.
“It wouldn’t have mattered if Leo or Z was playing or not, I think those things are consistent throughout games,” Cronin added.
Veteran defenseman Cam Fowler returned to action for the first time in a month, leaving 2022 lottery pick Pavel Mintyukov as the odd man out on the left side. The Ducks did not practice Thursday, offering no further clarity on injuries and other factors that influenced their lineup.
On Wednesday, Fowler lamented the Ducks’ inability to sustain offensive pressure, much less consistently reach the most coveted areas of the Golden Knights’ territory.
“There wasn’t much opportunity for us to find offensive-zone time, and then they capitalized on the mistakes that we made,” Fowler said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to get to the inside a little bit more and try to make life a little bit harder on (the opposing) goaltender.”
Those tasks will not get much easier against Minnesota, which ranks No.1 in the NHL in goals allowed (2.32 per game). That’s also been thanks to their last line of defense, as Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury have combined to produce a league-best .924 save percentage.
Though center Joel Eriksson Ek, winger Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Jonas Brodin remain sidelined, the Wild still lugged the league’s most potent weapon in tow.
Winger Kirill Kaprizov led the NHL in points (39) entering Thursday’s slate of games. He was tied with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Carolina’s Martin Necas. They all stood one point ahead of Vegas center Jack Eichel, who had two points against the Ducks on Wednesday.
Kaprizov has compiled five points across an active four-game surge for him and his club alike: His scoring streak has coincided with four straight wins for the Wild, allowing them to leapfrog the Winnipeg Jets in the Central standings.
Minnesota at Ducks
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Honda Center
How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)
