Preview: Ducks Battle Stars Tonight in Dallas

The Ducks have hit the Lone Star State for the front half of a road back-to-back, tonight facing off with the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.

PUCK DROP: 5 P.M. | WATCH: VICTORY+ / FOX PLUS (KCOP-13) | AUDIO: DUCKS STREAM | NHL GAMECENTER

Anaheim takes to the road looking for some momentum after closing a six-game homestand Friday night with a thrilling 6-4 comeback victory over Detroit. The Ducks trailed 3-1 in the middle frame that night but responded with four straight goals, including rookie winger Cutter Gauthier's first in the NHL.

"It was a dream come true," Gauthier said through a big smile. "Against [my] hometown Detroit, it was surreal moment and I am just so pumped."

The goal snapped a 15-game drought for Gauthier to open the season, despite his 35 shots on net, but head coach Greg Cronin said Gauthier's commitment to developing his off-puck game was emblematic of the culture the team is trying to build.

"The whole bench was excited for him," Cronin said. "I mean, he’s been pounding pucks and to his credit, he’s been moved down in the lineup to try and simplify his game and get a little more fourth-line habits and more of a checking kind of commitment. Again, we always talk about changing the value system to give guys kind of a reset on what they’re focusing on instead of just scoring goals and I think he fed off of that and that line with him and [Johnston] and I thought [Harkins] was terrific. Then we moved hm onto the third line and the whole time he’s been doing this, he’s been positive, supporting his teammates, no sulking, practicing hard. I love talking about stories like that because they’re a reflection of the culture we’re trying to build here."

"Obviously this is the best league in the world and you don’t have a lot of time and space," added Gauthier. "I think the biggest thing I notice is when to manage the puck, when to make the right play when I have some time and when I gotta keep it simple and get it deep or get on the forecheck. So I think a little bit of just adjusting to the speed and how good guys are and the defenseman gaps have been the biggest transitions for me."

Gauthier's goal gave the Ducks the lead in the third, powering a comeback win that would push the team's record to 6-8-2 on the season.

"[Assistant coach Tim Army] watches up above, it’s such an unemotional view of the game, it’s very tactical, I think it’s a more honest view of what you see on the bench," Cronin said. "He had come down after the first period and there was a little bit of, kind of a little bit of a stink because we gave up, it was an awkward goal. We cheated into the corner and gave them kind of an open net goal at the end of that 5-on-3. So I think guys were feeling a bit down and he was really adamant about saying, ‘Hey we played a heck of a period.’

"He went in there and shared that with the players and told them why, the fact that we were getting pucks deep, we were hunting pucks down, getting quality chances and then, you know, it reminded them like because we’ve been talking about this all year about making a commitment to play a certain way and then if you keep playing that way over time, you’re gonna get your chances, you’re gonna get rewarded."

Anaheim was rewarded with five goals in the game's final 23 minutes, including a pair of power-play markers, as 13 total Ducks found the scoresheet.

"I think we’re just getting a little more confident [on the power play]," defenseman Olen Zellweger said. "We’re moving the puck well, passing it with some authority and I also thought the retrievals were really strong. The guys down low are working really hard to get those pucks back. I think we still got a lot of work and a lot of potential left on that power play for sure."

As the Ducks now head to Texas, tonight's lineup could again include some tweaks after a series of roster moves on Sunday. Anaheim recalled right wing Sam Colangelo, the San Diego Gulls' leading goal scorer, and defenseman Tyson Hinds, while placing center Mason McTavish on injured reserve. A 2020 second-round pick and last season one of college hockey's top goal scorers, Colangelo posted 15 points in 14 AHL games this fall. Hinds is yet to make his NHL debut.

McTavish has not played since Anaheim's Nov. 8 game against Minnesota. The 21-year-old has points in four of his last five games and co-leads the Ducks in assists.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side tonight for Anaheim is one of the NHL's top teams, a Stars squad trying to keep pace with the red-hot Jets and Wild for the Central Division lead. Dallas enters play Monday night with wins in three straight games and a 7-1-0 mark on home ice after back-to-back seven goals performances in wins over Boston and Pittsburgh before a nail-biting 2-1 victory against Minnesota on Saturday.

“That was a heavy, hard, playoff-type game out there,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer told NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. “There was a lot of physicality, a lot of battles, not a lot of room, both goalies were great...We knew that and they’ve been playing really well. It was a good two points for us.”

“We could have had more [goals],” added winger Mason Marchment, who scored both Dallas goals. “Their goalie made some big saves, as well as [Jake Oettinger] did, a lot of key saves at big moments. That’s what he’s there for. I thought we played a pretty sound defensive game for the most part, too. They had a couple good looks and [Oettinger] is our backbone back there.”

Dallas (11-5-0, 22 points) sits third in the Central Division.