Ducks bid to change latest fortunes in encounter vs. Senators

The Anaheim Ducks have just one win in their past four outings as they prepare to host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.

That’s the glass sitting half-empty.

The Ducks see that same glass as half-full when they consider they are 5-3-1 in their past nine outings. As well, their latest setback was a positive performance against their biggest rivals.

As the Ducks prepare for the Senators, the game will be on the heels of Anaheim’s 2-1 loss Friday to the Los Angles Kings to kick off a four-game homestand. The Ducks led midway through the matchup but couldn’t fend off their Southern California rivals nor pull away despite outshooting the Kings 31-18, including 12-4 in the third period.

“We had the puck maybe more than we have had in the past against these guys,” Ducks forward Ryan Strome said. “In the past, I feel like we have been on our heels and they kind of come in waves at us. … We were kind of pushing the pace on them.”

The Ducks are a long shot to be a playoff team but have shown signs the franchise has turned a corner, especially defensively. Anaheim finished in the bottom three in the past two seasons in goals allowed, but the club has solidified things over the recent stretch. The Ducks are 10th overall in goals-against and have been perfect on the penalty kill in their last six games.

“The last 10 or 11 games we haven’t had too many stinkers,” coach Greg Cronin said. “We had some, maybe, periods that were off, but I think for the most part we’ve played really well as a group.”

The Senators arrive in Anaheim after suffering a 5-2 loss to the Kings on Saturday. The result snapped Ottawa’s modest two-game winning streak that followed a five-game slide (0-4-1).

“I like that we play (Sunday) night. When you play a game that stings a little bit, you don’t like to sit around and wait,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said.

The Senators dearly need a lengthy run of victories to pull into the playoff mix. They wasted an opportunity on a night in which they led 2-1 just past the six-minute mark of the second period before surrendering four unanswered goals.

“It’s frustrating,” defenseman Travis Hamonic said. “We felt at parts we played a really good game. But we’ve got to turn the page.”

Green believes his team played better than it did in a victory Wednesday over the San Jose Sharks to begin this three-game road swing against the trio of California clubs. However, costly defensive miscues turned the tide.

“It should sting,” Green said. “I’m pretty open and honest with our team after the game, and my assessment was … we played hard enough to get a point or get a win, but we made a couple mistakes that I don’t think were from them earning the goal.”

It is not all bad news for the Senators. Tim Stutzle scored once to extend his point streak to six games, in which he has three goals and five assists. Adam Gaudette has scored in three consecutive games and already has 12 goals, which equals his career high.

However, those streaks are hard to celebrate when they need team success.

“It’s the unfortunate reality that we have to get that angry with losing that things will change,” captain Brady Tkachuk said. “To be able to move on and focus on the task at hand is a good opportunity for us. It’s an opportunity to finish the road trip off right.”

–Field Level Media