As the Ducks seek to keep pace in the Pacific Division race, they’ll host a team that’s part of a wild-card melee that they’re in danger of entering if they can’t slam the brakes on their five-game losing streak.
The Nashville Predators moseyed westward for a California swing that started with a tie-breaking triumph against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, continued with another deadlock-loosening clash with the Kings on Monday and will wrap up versus the Ducks on Tuesday.
For their part, the Ducks (41-31-5, 87 points) have been reeling from their second-longest losing streak of the season. When it began, they were five points up on the second-place Edmonton Oilers for the division title. Five Ls later, they’re in a points tie with Edmonton (39-29-9), who will own the head-to-head tiebreaker and just snapped a season-best surge (five games), and a solitary point ahead of the third-place Vegas Golden Knights (35-26-16), who have taken three straight.
The Ducks were without leading scorer Cutter Gauthier (doubtful for Tuesday), rugged captain Radko Gudas (doubtful), active blue-liner Pavel Mintyukov (probable), grinder Jansen Harkins (out) and enforcer Ross Johnston (out) when they were stampeded on Saturday by the Calgary Flames.
“We’re missing a lot of different guys, that not necessarily are the scorers, but they were guys that were playing a real solid team game,” Coach Joel Quenneville said. “That’s one thing we’ve got to tighten up, no matter who’s in the lineup, that we’re positionally aware and we don’t want to get scored on.”
The shuffling on the Ducks’ blue line opened up a spot for 23-year-old Tyson Hinds, the former Kevin Lowe Trophy winner as the top defensive defenseman in the QMJHL, to make his NHL debut.
“He had a heck of a game,” Quenneville said. “He did everything you’d want him to do in his first start. (He played) big minutes, and he was very effective in a lot of ways.”
While the Ducks would have to crumble completely to outright miss the playoffs, their once comfortable perch has given way to a battle for seeding. Entering the week, they were six points ahead of the Kings, who had a game in hand, with five and six games to play, respectively.
They appeared to be in a position to not only qualify for the playoffs for the first time in eight years with home-ice advantage in a best-of-seven first-round series but also begin Round 2 at home if they were to advance. They now face a much broader array of possibilities.
“We’ve gotta figure it out, like, now,” said center Leo Carlsson, who has three goals during the Ducks’ slump.
In the past month, Nashville has ranked in among the NHL’s Top 10 in points percentage, goals for and goals against, in addition to having the league’s top-ranked penalty kill during that span.
PREDATORS AT DUCKS
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)