The Ducks reached the .500 mark and could continue rising if they even up the ledger on their four-game road swing, which will conclude Thursday in Pittsburgh when they take on the Penguins.
Tuesday, they defeated another group of battle-tested veterans from the Metropolitan Division, the New York Islanders, for their first win of the trip. It was an outing that wasn’t without its blemishes – the Islanders won more than twice as many faceoffs and nearly doubled the Ducks up in shots on goal – but one in which the three stars of the Ducks’ season to date emanated plenty of light.
Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry each tallied on the power play, extending Terry’s points streak to eight games and leaving Carlsson in sole possession of second in team scoring, while Lukáš Dostál beat back 40 bids.
It took a five-on-three advantage, a seam pass to the left faceoff dot and a perfectly placed one-timer by Mathew Barzal to break up what would have been Dostál’s second shutout of the season. He’s allowed two or fewer goals in five of his seven starts, including his last four. His other two decisions were a win over Utah and a 45-save showing in an overtime loss at Colorado.
“I can’t not talk about Lukáš Dostál and what he’s been doing for us,” reporters heard from Terry, whose goal was No. 100 of his career. “Other than that, it was nice to get our power play going, that’s the difference in a lot of these games early on, you see it around the league. I’m proud of how the guys came out, and now we have a chance to go .500 on this road trip”
Even last year’s big revelation, Frank Vatrano, who led the team in goals and points in 2023-24, got his first goal of this campaign with an empty-netter.
Above all, being robbed by Dostál became a rite of passage for the Islanders, including captain Anders Lee, whose seemingly surefire goal off a two-on-one was nullified by the blocker of Dostál after he launched from post-to-post.
“We can’t keep relying on him so much, but he’s doing a great job,” Terry told reporters.
While the Ducks have largely improved their defensive structure, Sunday’s debacle in New Jersey notwithstanding, and Dostál has largely taken care of the rest, the Penguins have struggled with defense, goaltending and, consequently, their overall performance.
They’ve surrendered the most goals overall (47) and per game (4.27) along with an .886 save percentage that ranks 23rd in the NHL. Their 30-something cast has still been productive up front with Evgeni Malkin leading the team (14 points in 11 games) and Sidney Crosby placing second (10 points) ahead of former Duck Rickard Rakell (eight points). Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang have teamed up for just 10 points thus far, and they’ve also contributed to the chaos in the Penguins’ zone.
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Pittsburgh owns the lowest points total and worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference. Last season, the two avian-mascot clubs split two meetings. The Penguins shut the Ducks out at Honda Center on Nov. 7 but were upended on Oct. 30 when Mason McTavish’s two third-period goals, including a shorthanded game-winner with 13 seconds to play, capped the Ducks’ comeback victory. McTavish assisted on both power-play goals in the win over the Islanders on Tuesday.
Ducks at Penguins
When: 4 p.m. PT Thursday
Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)