Need to Know: Bruins at Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Bruins will be further shorthanded on Wednesday night in Anaheim as they aim to snap their six-game losing skid without the services of Nikita Zadorov. Per interim head coach Joe Sacco, the blue liner has returned to Boston to tend to a family matter. It’s unknown when Zadorov will be back with the club.

"I don't have any further update as far as when he'll be back or not, but he won't be available for tonight's game,” said Sacco.

With Zadorov out, Ian Mitchell will return to the lineup and play alongside Michael Callahan.

The Black & Gold, meanwhile, will be looking to secure their first win of the road trip when they visit the Ducks at Honda Center to close out the California swing.

“I think we’ve showed in spurts periods of the game where we’re competing with the other team, the opposition,” said Sacco. “When teams start to push back, that’s when we really have to dig in as a group and make sure that we’re there, whether it’s game management…just handling those situations a little bit better, I think.

“It’s about finding more consistency for 60 minutes during the course of the game.”

Opposing View

The Ducks enter Wednesday night’s game having dropped three of four, including a 5-2 setback to the Hurricanes on Sunday. For the season, Anaheim is 30-32-8 with 68 points, placing them sixth in the Pacific Division.

Troy Terry pace the club with 51 points (19 goals, 32 points), while old friend Frank Vatrano leads the way with 20 goals (to go along with 21 assists). Mason McTavish (18-25—43), Ryan Strome (10-29—39), and Jackson LaCombe (12-25—37) round out the team’s top-five point producers.

Lukas Dostal has carried the load between the pipes with a 20-19-6 record to go along with a 2.99 goals against average and .907 save percentage in 45 games.

“It’s really about us and what we do,” Sacco said of the challenge that Anaheim presents. “We know what we’re up against here tonight, a good, young team with a lot of skill, a lot of youth, a lot of energy in their lineup.”

Wait, There’s More

• Joonas Korpisalo was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, indicating that he’ll get the start between the pipes.
• Charlie McAvoy skated with the team for the second straight day donning a red non-contact jersey.
• Sacco on Fabian Lysell’s play through two games: “I think you get a little more comfortable with each game that passes. He’s doing some good things. He’s got to try to find his way close to the net in this league. It’s hard to create chances, a couple last game in L.A. but they were from the outside the dots or around the tops of the circles…he’s got to be around the net to create some more scoring chances for himself. But he’s done some good things, he’s had some pop in his game, some energy. His wall play is something that he’s going to need to continue to work on as a young player.”
• Sacco on his time playing for Anaheim from 1993-98: “I have a lot of good memories. I was here for almost five years. I was with the expansion team in ’93-94. One thing I remember was we had a great team the first year as far as the guys we had, terrific character guys in the room that first year. All the years, but especially the first year. It was new, it was exciting here in Orange Country…I still have some good friends that are here. I enjoyed my team here as a player.”

Wednesday’s Projected Lineup

FORWARDS

Marat Khusnutdinov – Casey Mittelstadt – David Pastrnak

Morgan Geekie – Pavel Zacha – Fabian Lysell

Cole Koepke – Elias Lindholm – Vinni Lettieri

Jakub Lauko – Johnny Beecher – Patrick Brown

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon – Henri Jokiharju

Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke

Michael Callahan – Ian Mitchell

GOALIES

Joonas Korpisalo

Jeremy Swayman