The Ducks will host the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night in their final game before the All-Star break.
That pause will leave them out of action, with the exception of their lone All-Star selection Frank Vatrano, until Feb. 9 when they host the Edmonton Oilers.
In that game, Edmonton could break the more than three-decades-old NHL record for most consecutive wins. The Ducks remain a long way from such aspirations, but they have been buoyed of late by a mix of familiar and fresh faces as they navigate a voyage that’s been destabilized by close losses and extended absences due to injury.
On their brief road trip, the Ducks stole a point in Dallas and turned in a tenacious effort in Minnesota, weathering a stormy second period that was bookended by outstanding frames, leading to a 3-2 victory.
“For four straight games we’ve had really good first periods, and then we absorbed too much of the game in the second period, and part of that’s taking penalties,” Coach Greg Cronin said by phone. “I thought our response in the third period in Minnesota was good footing to move forward from in a positive way.”
From good footing to great footwork, mainstay Troy Terry has been on fire for more than a month and newcomer Olen Zellweger has infused youthful energy – and legs – into the banged-up Ducks’ game in all three zones.
Terry has 22 points in his past 23 contests, including 13 in 11 January games. Not only has he become capable of carrying a line by himself, a distinction reserved for rookie center Leo Carlsson and no one else of late, Terry’s impact has been felt in the win column this year. In the 17 victories the Ducks have earned with Terry in the lineup, he’s poured in 20 points with a plus-10 rating. In 29 losses, he’s had just 15 points with a minus-14 rating.
Early in the season, Cronin said Terry was making massive adjustments to his game, carrying the puck less and moving off it more quickly, effectively reorienting his attack style. That transformation has borne fruit and Terry’s transition capabilities have soared, too.
Also dictating tempo has been Zellweger, a rookie call-up who has made a quick impression. Against Minnesota, he had a puck retrieval so swift and efficient that it caused Brandon Duhaime to whiff completely, sending the Wild forward banging into the end boards.
For the small-ish Zellweger, much like Tampa Bay Lightning winger and Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov, such economical skating and brilliant elusiveness might be matters of survival. He might lack the size and strength to absorb checks from oncoming opponents, but they cannot hit what they cannot catch.
“He’s obviously a pretty dynamic skater, right? Usually those guys will be able to use that skating to avoid the forecheckers, and he has to,” Cronin said. “His ability to move proactively against a forechecker is a critical part of his breakout ability and it transfers over to the blue line as well, where he can move laterally and avoid checkers that are moving toward him.”
Next up for Terry, Zellweger and the whole flock will be the last-place Sharks, who beat the Ducks 5-3 in a bizarre affair on Jan. 20 that saw the Ducks cede just seven shots on net through 40 minutes. The solution for turning around the result for the typically detail-delving Cronin was simple: finish your copious number of scoring opportunities.
“After two periods the shots were [20-7]. We didn’t score. We had plenty of chances but we couldn’t capitalize,” Cronin said. “They came out in the third period and had a hard burst to get a couple goals, putting us in chase mode. We just have to be able to convert the chances that we generate into goals.”
SHARKS AT DUCKS
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
TV: Bally Sports SoCal
