The Anaheim Ducks will aim for another early-season win over the Sharks when they host San Jose on Tuesday.
The Ducks opened their season by blanking the Sharks 2-0 on Oct. 12. Isac Lundestrom and Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim, and Lukas Dostal made 30 saves for his second career shutout.
However, the Ducks have just one win in their four games since. They enter Tuesday’s contest on a two-game skid.
Anaheim lost 4-3 in overtime at the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and fell 4-1 to rival Los Angeles on Sunday. Ryan Strome scored the lone goal for the Ducks and Dostal made 32 saves against the Kings.
The Ducks have been outshot 85-33 in their past two losses. Their power play has yet to find the back of the net this season, going 0-for-17 through five games.
“The last two games we’ve just been on cruise control. We’re just watching the game,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “They’ve got to take ownership. The NHL is a fast game. If you don’t skate to the finish line every time you’re backchecking, forechecking, neutral zone regroups, you’re not going to get the puck. It’s that simple.”
In five games, forward Troy Terry leads the Ducks with four points (three goals, one assist). Strome and Leo Carlsson each have two goals and a helper.
Dostal has made four starts, posting a 2-1-1 record with a .930 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average. The 24-year-old is 1-1-0 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.01 GAA in two career appearances against San Jose.
Tuesday is the second of three meetings between the clubs this season. The Sharks and Ducks conclude the season series on April 1 in Anaheim.
This time, the Sharks travel to Anaheim hunting for their first win of the season, but they’ll have to get it without touted rookie forward Macklin Celebrini.
San Jose general manager Mike Grier announced Monday that Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, will miss at least the next two weeks due to a lower-body injury.
The 18-year-old has not played since the season opener on Oct. 10. He tallied a goal and an assist in his NHL debut.
San Jose fell 4-1 to Colorado on Sunday night. The Sharks are winless in six games this season (0-4-2) and nine straight dating back to last season, with their most recent victory coming on April 11 in Seattle.
William Eklund scored and Vitek Vanecek made 18 saves in Sunday’s loss to the Avalanche.
“We’ve got to find a way to win a hockey game,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’ve done some really good things in probably four of our six games. You could arguably say our record could be different, but at the end of the day, a record is what it says, right? I know our guys are digging in, and we care. We’re trying. It’s going to come. We just got to keep plugging.”
Vanecek is 0-3-0 in four games this season with a .884 save percentage and a 3.14 GAA. In three career games against the Ducks, Vanecek is 1-1-1 with a .935 save percentage and a 1.98 GAA.
Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli has a team-leading four goals this season.
–Field Level Media