Today’s game against L.A. is the fourth meeting between these two teams this preseason. It also marks the final opportunity many Ducks players will have to prove they’re worthy of earning a spot on the initial roster.
Head coach Joel Quenneville discussed what he’s looking for out of his team before the Ducks’ regular season slate begins October 9 vs. the Kraken.
“I want to come out of the game with a little excitement going into our regular season,” he said. “It’s going to be a good lineup for us and [the Kings] have a good lineup so it’s meaningful in ways. I think both teams are probably looking to play hard and play a strong team game.”
Radko Gudas echoed many of his coach’s sentiments but added what he’s looking to do from the player’s perspective.
“We want to have a full 60 minutes and make sure we’re ready for the season,” Gudas said. “This is the last, like the coaches say, ‘rehearsal’ before the big season starts … We want to feel good about our game and be a harder-working team on the ice. Those are the main things that we’re looking forward to and looking forward to working on the chemistry on the lines and know where everybody is and get the system under our skin and be ready for Thursday’s puck drop.”
With the Kings currently holding the same preseason record as the Ducks, Gudas also discussed what kinds of challenges LA presents and what Anaheim needs to do to close out the exhibition slate with a win.
“They’re very technical, they’re very well-structured,” he said of LA. “We’re going to make sure that we play with the puck and not let them have easy turnovers and easy offense. We want to make sure that we’re hard on the pucks and always in the way on the right side of the puck, as well.”
Today’s game will air on Victory+ / FOX Plus (Ch. 13.)