The Ducks appeared to be facing forward with a competitive effort against a top team and then a convincing victory, but they started their final homestand this season with a lukewarm showing Friday.
Now, they’ll pivot into a Sunday showdown with the desperation-fueled St. Louis Blues, who entered their back-to-back set with the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and Ducks on Sunday seven points behind the Kings for the final Western Conference postseason spot.
“We played a couple good games in a row in Vancouver and Calgary, then (Friday) we looked flatter than water on a plate,” coach Greg Cronin said after the 3-1 loss to Seattle in which the Ducks put just six shots on net through the final 40 minutes. “We’ve got to figure out how to get energized and play a team that’s scratching and clawing for a playoff berth.”
While the Ducks’ playoff hopes dimmed long ago, they’ll have the opportunity to bury St. Louis and potentially impact seeding in a matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights as well as two meetings with the Kings in their final five games.
“We worked hard throughout the whole season, so we don’t want to just mail those games in,” veteran defenseman Radko Gudas said. “We want to make sure we leave it all out there and show the young guys that these games matter for everybody.”
On Friday, it was not a seasoned player but a teenage rookie serving as an exemplar for the Ducks. Leo Carlsson scored their lone goal, setting himself up with a between-the-legs pass for a snipe from a challenging angle. His contributions, however, transcended the highlight reel.
“He was outworking people for pucks and outskating people,” Cronin said. “When you watch him play, if you’re on our team, you’re like ‘Wow, that guy’s a good hockey player and we’ve got to and try to mirror his effort.’”
“He’s got talent, obviously, but he works. He works to get pucks back, he works to backcheck and he works in the D zone. So, for me, he’s a good role model for the whole group and he’s only 19.”
On the injury front, Saturday’s practice carried on without Pavel Mintyukov, Max Jones and Mason McTavish, who sported a brace on his right leg at the facility. While that portends poorly for his availability Sunday, he discarded a walking boot to return from a separate lower-body injury last month. He, Mintyukov and Jones should all be considered doubtful.
Trevor Zegras appeared fine after an unspecified late-game issue Friday. He was adorned with a cut on his lip after taking a puck to the mouth during Saturday’s practice, though that should not impact his participation Sunday.
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For St. Louis, its seven-point deficit and lack of a tiebreaker in hand against neither the Kings nor the top wild card, the Nashville Predators, essentially signify that they need to win out in their final six matches to make the playoffs.
Striking first has been paramount for the Blues. They’ve won 30 of 34 games when opening the scoring, 20 of 22 when leading at the first intermission and 27 of 28 with an edge after two periods. Conversely, they’ve won just 9 of 41 games when allowing the first goal and only four of 31 when trailing at the second intermission.
St. Louis at Ducks
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Honda Center
TV: Bally Sports SoCal
