Working Overtime
It's no secret the Ducks have struggled in overtime this season. Anaheim is winless in three attempts, so the coaching staff dedicated a good portion of practice on that area of the game.
"When you're 0-3, you have to pay attention to it," said Carlyle. "We tried to mix some people up. It's more about possession and waiting for your opportunity. It's a tough change. You get breakaways off line changes. We have to manage the puck more effectively. When we get an opportunity, we need to drain it. We're going to implement a couple different groupings and involve some defensemen."
Those defensemen include Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen, who Carlyle says will see plenty of ice during the five-minute sudden death session. Carlyle didn't rule out the idea of using a combination of two of them at the same time, either.
Looking Ahead
The Ducks and Kings will renew pleasantries tomorrow night in what is expected to be a raucous atmosphere inside Honda Center. Tomorrow will mark the second game in the season series that opened with a 4-0 Ducks victory at Staples Center on November 1.
"It's probably one of the best rivalries I've ever played in," said Ryan Kesler. "It's always a fun game to play. It's going to be another intense game. Every game is hard-fought. It's about whoever executes better, whoever is more physical and dominates. That's the team that's going to win."
Practice Line Combinations
Ritchie-Getzlaf-Perry
Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg
Rakell-Vermette-Kase
Garbutt-Wagner-Boll
Fowler-Vatanen
Lindholm-Manson
Holzer
Gibson-Bernier
