The Ducks (24-21-3) welcome the Rangers (21-22-6) to Honda Center before Anaheim hits the road for a five-game road trip.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air on Victory+ and KCOP-13.
The Ducks notched their third win in a row (3-0-0) on Saturday beating the Kings, 2-1, in overtime. Anaheim closed this season’s Freeway Faceoff taking three-of-four against L.Awhere each of those wins was clinched in overtime or shootouts.
After going through some adversity this season, head coach Joel Quenneville knows how important it is to take what’s been working in these three wins and utilize it towards tonight’s game against the Rangers.
“That’s gotta be our mindset, continue building on that standard that we play with,” Quenneville said. “How well we play without the puck is important and let’s be hard to play against, playing that way.”
Beckett Sennecke extended his point streak to five games courtesy of an assist vs the Kings. He now has 38 points on the season (15 goals, 23 points) which is good for second among all rookies, three points behind Canadiens right winger Ivan Demidov (41).
“He’s got a good attitude about the game,” Quenneville said of his 19-year-old rookie. “Likes the game, wants to play more … He’s got a nice future, that’s for sure.”
These two teams last met in mid-December with the Ducks beating the Rangers, 4-1. New York comes into this game off a 6-3 win over the Flyers. When they travel this season, the Rangers are 16-9-2 with an 86–73 goal differential.
Jacob Trouba, who was traded to Anaheim from New York last season, discussed how his current team can find success against his now foe, drawing on both what worked the last time they played, and what’s been effective during this three-game winning streak.
“Last game they scored a lot of goals [and] Mika’s (Zibanejad) been hot which is good to see,” Trouba said of the Rangers. “I think staying consistent with our game and simplicity and what made us successful the last couple (games) is what we’ll stick to.”
Artemi Panarin leads the team in assists (36) and points (54) while Zibanejad paces the club in goals (21). Zibanejad has recorded a point in eight-straight games, tied for the third-longest active streak in the league. He’s also coming off a game where he set the franchise record for the most power play goals in team history.
According to Quenneville, former Ranger Chris Kreider will return to Anaheim’s lineup and Lukas Dostal will get the start for the home team this evening.