“I thought we were fine, but when you’re in close games, you’ve got to find another level,” Huska said of the 2-0 defeat that dropped Calgary to 1-1-0 on its current road swing. “That’s, to me, what it looked like from the bench, where you have a chance to grab a game when it’s close, and we weren’t able to do that,

“Whether that’s scoring a goal, or making a better decision with the puck that led to their goal that they scored 5-on-5, those are the little things that I think were the difference in the game.”

The frustration of Saturday’s setback mirrored the last time Calgary suffered a shutout defeat – a 1-0 OT loss Nov. 30 at Carolina – and as the calendar flips to March, so too comes an opportunity to make amends. 

For captain Mikael Backlund, who had four shot attempts and a block over 16:29 of work Saturday, the key against the Ducks starts with consistency.

“Close game, but I didn’t think we played our best game,” Backlund said of the L.A. loss. “Too up and down just throughout the game, too inconsistent.

“We know we can play better.”

A win in Anaheim would bring four of six points on the trip. 

And as the March schedule kicks into gear in earnest, that might just be something to build upon.