Ducks play 'mature game,' bounce back to sweep Vegas

ANAHEIM, Calif. – It was Troy Terry that may have quantified the Anaheim Ducks’ 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights the best in the locker room on Sunday.

“Tonight was just a mature game,” Terry said. “I thought we've had games this year where we beat them, and it was open, and we were scoring goals, and we've had games like tonight, where it just felt like we played a smart home game against a good team.”

Anaheim bounced back from back-to-back road defeats, including an out-of-gas shutout loss to league-worst Vancouver on Thursday, with an electric start followed by a grind-down close-out finish against division-leading Vegas at a sold-out Honda Center.

Anaheim earned its first season-sweep of the Golden Knights in franchise history, and the Ducks have won eight of their last 10 games with a 5-2-0 record against divisional opponents.

The Ducks close out the pre-Olympic schedule with another crucial division game against Seattle on Tuesday.

“Crunch time, right?” Chris Kreider said. “All these games are super important. Big win for us.”

Kreider scored Anaheim’s first two goals off his netfront presence and the play-driving ability of his linemates, and Cutter Gauthier ripped in a power play goal for a 3-0 lead in the second period.

Vegas got the benefit of a bounce to get on the board in the second period, and the Knights outshot Anaheim, 19-7, in the third period to cut it close before a Ryan Poehling empty-netter sealed the deal.

Lukas Dostal made 28 saves, including 17 in the third period, to lock down his 20th victory of the season.

“That's the game. You know they're going to press,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said of the Ducks holding down the fort. “They're gonna be pressing offensively, gambling a little bit, taking the offensive side of a lot of pucks, and I think some of the clears we weren’t great at, but at the same time, that's what you do when you're down. You're gonna take some risks and there's some rewards at the other end, if you get through it. But at the same time, that was a well-played game for the most part.”

Anaheim (29-23-3, 61 points) kept pace with the pack, as the Pacific Division teams continued to draw impossibly closer to each other.

After losing to third-place Seattle (26-19-9, 61 points) and the Ducks on back-to-back nights, Vegas (25-16-14, 64 points) maintained a narrow grip on first place in the division, with one fewer game played than second-place Edmonton (28-20-8, 64 points).

Anaheim jumped one point ahead of Los Angeles (23-17-14, 60 points) to the first wild-card spot with the Kings in the second wild-card spot. Utah (28-23-4, 60 points) is just on the outside with one more game played than LA, and San Jose (27-22-4, 58 points) is right behind.

The Kings have one game in hand on the Ducks, and the Sharks have two games in hand. Seattle has one game in hand on Anaheim, but the two meet at Honda Center on Tuesday night to close out the pre-Olympic schedule.

“I think everybody's probably thinking the same way that we all have chances,” Quenneville said, “and everybody's probably thinking that you put three or four games together, you know, you can move by a number of teams, and then all of a sudden–but don't think you're gonna be there long and just rest on your laurels. It's gonna be a test for everybody right to the end.”

Poehling Powers Line with Kreider, Terry

With Troy Terry returning to the line-up after an 11-game absence with an upper-body injury, he admitted that it took him a bit for his game legs to catch back up to speed. Terry also said that the play of his linemates Chris Kreider and Ryan Poehling, in particular, made his return a smooth one.

“When you're playing with Poehling and Kreider, they make you feel slow because they're flying around the ice,” Terry said. “They were buzzing around the rink tonight and made it easy for me, and I just felt like for me personally, my puck touches kind of got better as the game went on.”

Terry picked up a secondary assist on Kreider’s second goal, but Kreider’s game was also a self-admittedly simple one: get pucks in behind and get to the net.

The driver of that line was, and really the driver of the Ducks in general has been, Poehling.

A player who many begrudged in the summer as not a fitting return in the Trevor Zegras trade has powered the Ducks’ detailed defensive efforts over these last 10 crucial games.

“Flying all around the ice,” Kreider said of Poehling. “Moving his feet. Leading the rush, make the right plays at the right times, and then drive his legs to get back in, play a good defense too. He's been awesome.”

Since No. 1 center Leo Carlsson went out 10 games ago, Poehling leads Anaheim with a plus-6 rating and has racked up two goals, four assists and 51.95% five-on-five expected goals share.

In the last six games, including the five when the Ducks were without No. 2 center Mason McTavish, Poehling leads the Ducks with a plus-4 rating along with two goals, three assists and 55.59% five-on-five expected goals share.

“He’s been just a heartbeat of our team,” Terry said. “Just the workman's-like attitude that he brings every game,and with his speed and everything, and with draws, he does all the little things. He's a really skilled hockey player, and he makes plays… He's still doing all of those intangible things that this team needs.”

Over the last 10 games, Poehling has a 53.3% face-off winning percentage, which is second on the team but with 49 more draws than the leader Tim Washe (58.3%). Poehling has won the key draws too, with a 54.2% mark in the defensive zone, where he’s taken more than half of his face-offs.

“He's gotten better, basically, as the seasons progressed,” Quenneville said. “Had an ordinary start, and he started playing, and all of a sudden, he skating, and now you use him as one killer, and face-offs, and against good players, and his speed can beat some pressure, and can beat defensemen with going wide, and a lot of good things.”

“You're down two of your top centermen, and he's playing with different caliber players, and you're always comfortable with that line out there.”

Power Play Continues to Pop

It’s been a hot streak for the Ducks’ extra man unit, as Cutter Gauthier ripped in another power play wrister in the second period.

On Jan. 18, Ducks power play was clicking at 16.2%, 26th in the league. Over the last seven games, Anaheim is 6-for-17 on the power play, 35.3% which is fourth best in the league over that stretch.

Ducks overall power play has ticked up to 18.2%, which is good for 23rd in the league.

All of which, with perspective, is a massive improvement for a unit that was dead last in the league last season at 11.2%.

Anaheim’s special teams have been hot and cold all season, but the trend is up right now.

Terry, McTavish Return; Carlsson to IR

It was a pair of long-awaited returns to the line-up for Anaheim on Sunday.

The longer of the two absences was Troy Terry, who was activated off injured reserve after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury. Terry had been out since Jan. 8 and had attempted to return a couple times after pushing himself in morning skates before being put on IR on Jan. 16.

“It’s been frustrating, for sure,” Terry said on Saturday. “I’ve dealt with it here and there. It’s just one of those things where it feels good and then you try. It’s just been kind of a process. I feel good. I’m confident, and I’m excited.”

Terry joined the team in Vancouver for practice last Wednesday and skated in Thursday’s morning skate, but Quenneville said Terry was still a bit sore. Terry was a full participant in Saturday’s practice and was ready to go Sunday.

Terry skated on right wing of the listed second line with Ryan Poehling at center and Chris Kreider on left wing.

With Terry being activated off IR, the Ducks needed a roster slot and officially put Leo Carlsson on IR. Carlsson has been out since Jan. 16 due to a procedure to address a Morel-Lavalée lesion on his thigh. Carlsson–two weeks into his three-to-five week recovery timeline–was replaced on the Swedish Olympic roster last week.

Also rejoining the Ducks was Mason McTavish, who missed all five games of the recent road trip with an upper-body injury. McTavish confirmed he was injured after warm-ups in the road trip opener at Colorado on Jan. 21.

“I feel good,” McTavish said on Saturday, “but it’s up to them (training staff and coaching staff).”

McTavish was reinserted into the listed third line, centering right wing Cutter Gauthier and left wing Jeff Viel.