Ducks, Golden Knights each striving to get back on a winning track
The Anaheim Ducks will try to shed a two-game losing streak when they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
The Ducks pushed themselves back into the playoff picture with a recent seven-game winning streak but went into a deep chill in Canada while closing out a four-game road trip.
Anaheim's winning run ended with a 7-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, followed by a 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. It was the first time Anaheim was held without a goal since a 7-0 meltdown at home Dec. 3 against the Utah Mammoth.
Trailing 1-0 late in the game on Thursday, the Ducks turned a power play into a six-on-four advantage in the closing minute, but the Canucks scored anyway to put away the victory.
Vancouver did not score its first goal until midway through the third period when Drew O'Connor sent a wobbling puck off the shoulder and helmet of goaltender Lukas Dostal.
"End of a long road trip, tie game going to third, one of those things where just a little mistake is the reason we end up losing the game," Anaheim forward Alex Killorn said. "We just can't get shut out. We've got to do a better job producing offense."
After their struggle to find the scoreboard Thursday, the Ducks expect to have forward Troy Terry on the ice for the first time since Jan. 6. Terry missed the past 11 games with an upper-body injury.
Terry was with the team in Vancouver but did not play after head coach Joel Quenneville said his assists leader was still "a little sore."
The Golden Knights also followed an impressive winning streak with some recent struggles. They won seven consecutive games through Jan. 17 but have now lost six of seven (1-4-2).
After rallying to force overtime with three third-period goals in a 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Dallas Stars on Thursday, host Vegas fell 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Leading scorer Jack Eichel did not get a shot on goal against the Stars but had a team-leading five against the Kraken.
"I hope he gets back to the shooting mentality, but I think with Jack, I just trust him to play the game," Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He knows when to shoot and pass. I think it's on the power play that I have to nudge him (to shoot)."
The Golden Knights' Ivan Barbashev ended a 16-game run without a goal on Thursday and scored again against the Kraken to reach 14 on the season. Pavel Dorofeyev leads Vegas with 24 goals and Eichel has a team-best 63 points (19 goals, 44 assists), after two assists on Saturday.
Vegas is facing Anaheim for the first time since absorbing two 4-3 overtime losses in November against their Pacific Division rival. In the most recent meeting on Nov. 22, the Golden Knights had a 3-2 lead after one period then failed to score on 21 shots over the final two periods and overtime.