The Ducks’ theme of alleviation – the end of their seven-game losing streak and Frank Vatrano’s goal drought alike Thursday – persisted through a pair of off days ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Ducks confirmed that rookie Leo Carlsson, who sustained a knee-on-knee hit and left a 4-0 win over Chicago in the second period, was back in action at practice and ready to play Sunday, while Trevor Zegras, who hadn’t played since Jan. 9 due to a broken ankle, was to be a “game-time decision,” per Coach Greg Cronin.
Even Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas, who broke into the NHL with Tampa Bay, participated in a non-contact jersey for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury March 14. He should be considered doubtful for Sunday.
Gudas has been a missing ingredient from the Ducks’ penalty kill. Along with mainstay Cam Fowler and three departures via trade – Sam Carrick, Adam Henrique and Ilya Lyubushkin – he’s been among the five most frequently deployed penalty killers for the Ducks this season. Without four of their five most trusted skaters, the Ducks had the wheels fall off the penalty kill after the trade deadline, an issue exacerbated by several streams of penalties.
Another former Bolt, two-time Stanley Cup winner Alex Killorn, was encouraged by his club going four-for-five shorthanded against Minnesota and then negating the lone power-play opportunity it gave to Chicago, which had scored four power-play goals against the Ducks just eight days earlier.
“We’ve made some adjustments to the PK and I think it’s gone well so far. We still have a lot to go,” Killorn said. “We have a huge challenge Sunday with Tampa coming in and their power play, so hopefully we can continue in that direction.”
The Lightning boast the NHL’s top power-play conversion rate as well as its most productive scorer with the man advantage, Nikita Kucherov, and another power player in the top 10, longtime captain Steven Stamkos.
Kucherov also leads the league in overall scoring, thanks in part to a month to date that may even surpass the head-turning 28 points he stacked up in December.
He and Killorn were teammates with the Bolts, reaching four Stanley Cup Final series together. Their two triumphs were followed by a uniquely Floridian celebration, two boat parades, the second of which saw them pull up together on a jet ski with Lord Stanley’s chalice in tow.
Killorn signed with the Ducks over the summer, leaving behind a club that is now looking solid for its ninth postseason berth in 10 years for one that will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive campaign.
The first meeting between these two clubs unfolded along similar lines, with Tampa Bay cruising 5-1 on Jan. 13. Kucherov and Stamkos contributed three points apiece, while their old chum Killorn had a minus-two rating with just one shot on goal.
Though Killorn would score two goals in the following game, he’d soon injure his knee and undergo surgery, taking him off the ice for over a month, much as a broken finger did during training camp and the early part of the season.
Killorn, whose four-year contract worth $25 million tied Ryan Strome for the Ducks’ biggest free-agent investment since Scott Niedermayer in 2005, has exhibited more of the scoring prowess from his career-best, 64-point campaign last season. After notching just six goals in his first 36 games, he’s deposited eight in his past 15.
“He had a couple injuries there, he starts the year with an injury and then gets another one. He’s getting up there in age so I don’t know how that affects his rhythm coming back” Cronin said. “He’s definitely skating better, he’s taking ownership of his line, whatever line he’s on. He’s a winner, you know, so I think he’s kind of personifying that with the way he’s playing.”
Tampa Bay at Ducks
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Honda Center
TV: Bally Sports SoCal