As for tonight, head coach Joel Quenneville announced that Ryan Strome will be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game. While he noted how difficult it is to make lineup decisions such as this, he discussed his rationale into the recent change.
“(Ryan Poehling) came back in our lineup and really helped us down the middle with some speed,” Quenneville said. “We’re looking for pace. I think at the same time, it’s a tough situation scratching guys like that, it’s not easy. But at the same time, we had a good conversation and we’re going to keep ourselves ready knowing we do have some depth in the middle.”
These two teams last met on Nov. 17 when the Ducks won 3-2 in overtime. They’ll meet again in Utah in March for the final regular season matchup.
With goaltenders Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek sidelined for two to three weeks, Ville Husso will start in the net tonight against Utah per Quenneville. The Ducks coach discussed how lucky he feels to have additional depth at the position when the team faced attrition this year.
“Organizationally, we feel very fortunate to have the depth we do at the department,” Quenneville said. “You got two periods in the summer when everyone’s looking for the third goalie because you know during the course of the season and during playoff time, they become very important to your team and sometimes end up being the guy. Here, we’re seeing (Husso) at an early part of our season. It’s an important stretch for us and I thought he delivered a couple great games for us right off the bat.”
The Mammoth come into this game off a four-game losing skid, most recently falling 6-3 to the Sharks on Monday. Their game against the Ducks is in the middle of a six-game road trip. Logan Cooley paces Utah with 14 goals and 23 points while Mikhail Sergachev and Clayton Keller lead the team with 14 assists each.
Despite the team’s recent losing streak, Troy Terry discussed the kinds of challenges Utah presents and what his team can do to find success against the club for a second time this season.
“They’ve got some forwards that can really make you pay if you turn the puck over against them,” Terry said. “For us, we want to play fast and not let them get set in their controlled and speed game. Limit their puck touches off the rush … and just try to play in their end. I think that’s where we’re most successful against them.”