Field Level Media
06 Dec 2021, 02:25 GMT+10
The Anaheim Ducks have either sped up their rebuilding process, or they are much more advanced than many anticipated. Either way, they continue to perform beyond expectations through their first 25 games.
The Ducks will try to continue their success when they open a five-game road trip against the Washington Capitals on Monday night.
Anaheim enters the week third in the Pacific after going 2-0-1 against three divisional rivals in four nights last week.
The Ducks took a short road trip to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and won 5-4 in a shootout. They came home and held off the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5 on Wednesday, and rallied from a two-goal deficit before losing 4-3 in shootout against the visiting Calgary Flames on Friday.
Ducks coach Dallas Eakins is happy to pocket five out of a possible six points last week, but that seemed like old news by the time he met with reporters following the loss to Calgary.
"That's the biggest thing for our group right now, just to reset mentally and take a breath and then get ready for a tough road trip," Eakins said. "We're going to start with a back-to-back (against Washington and the Buffalo Sabres), and then we're going to finish the same way."
The Ducks close the trip against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 11 and the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12.
The Capitals are in the midst of a four-game homestand. They are 5-0-1 in their past six at home overall.
Washington beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night, and captain Alex Ovechkin scored the 750th goal of his NHL career.
Ovechkin reached that mark in 1,220 games, second fastest in league history behind Wayne Gretzky, who reached that mark in 1,001 games.
"Yeah, it's a pretty cool number," Ovechkin said. "Just keep going. Move on."
In one of their biggest wins of their season so far, the Ducks beat the visiting Capitals 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 16 to cap their season-long winning streak at eight games.
Trevor Zegras scored the winning goal in overtime and captain Ryan Getzlaf recorded his 1,000th NHL point in the game.
Zegras remains hot, totaling 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in the past 10 games, but Getzlaf has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury, which is likely to keep him out against Washington.
The Ducks lost another forward from their top line against the Flames on Friday when Adam Henrique left in the second period with a lower-body injury.
Getzlaf and Henrique did not practice Sunday.
The Ducks recalled Buddy Robinson as a spare forward before the game against Calgary, and the 6-foot-5, 225-pound winger could make his team debut Monday.
Eakins isn't so much concerned about who he'll plug into the lineup, he just needs them to fit into the team's style of play.
"If we want to be an elite team, we have to play a certain way," Eakins said. "If we're not going to do it to a man, then we're going to, very quickly, get into trouble. I think our group has learned enough lessons, and it's time to take another step forward."
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Japan Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Japan Herald.
More InformationMANILA, Philippines - In a dramatic move, the International Criminal Court on Tuesday arrested the former president of the Philippines,...
BENTONVILLE, Arkansas: Walmart is pressuring some Chinese suppliers to cut prices in response to President Donald Trump's imposed U.S....
BEIJING, China: China has set an economic growth target of around five percent for 2025, signaling efforts to stabilize the economy...
BATHURST, NSW, Central West, Australia - A manĀ who has been disqualified from holding a driver's license for the next ninety-two years...
(250314) -- BEIJING, March 14, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist...
New Delhi [India], March 14 (ANI): The three-day ODI Deaf Series played between India and Australia concluded on March 12 after intense...
The principal terminal, Terminal 1, at Israel's largest airport will reopen at the end of this month, having largely been closed since...
NEW YORK, New York - The knee-jerk introduction of trade tariffs by President Donald Trump continues to rattle markets with all the...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Ford announced this week that it will inject up to $4.8 billion into its struggling German unit to stabilize its...
SEATTLE, Washington: Boeing has revamped its employee incentive plan, tying annual bonuses for more than 100,000 workers to overall...
WINNIPEG, Manitoba: Farmers in the U.S. and Canada are bracing for soaring fertilizer prices as trade tensions escalate between the...
NEW YORK, New York - A slightly lower-than-expected CPI reading for February helped U.S. stocks to stabilize after some relentless...