The Ducks have hit the road for a four-game trip that begins on Long Island, tonight facing off with the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
PUCK DROP: 4:30 P.M. | TV: BALLY SPORTS SOCAL | DUCKS STREAM | NHL GAMECENTER
Anaheim hopes a week in the Big Apple is just what it needs to get back on track, as the Ducks have now dropped 11 of their last 12 games to fall to 10-17-0, last in the Pacific Division by points.
"We need to find a way to get an ugly win," forward Adam Henrique said. "We have a tough road trip coming up, a lot of teams that are supposed to be at the top of the standings. We have to be on our "A" game. We can play with those teams, we know that. We have to play a consistent 60-minute game."
The latest of those stinging defeats came Sunday night at Honda Center, as Winnipeg rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to earn the two standings points.
"It felt like we were doing the right things," winger Max Jones said. "Just a couple of weird ones, small mishaps that end up in the back of the net...I felt like we played a pretty good game except for the start. That's the thing, it's the consistency. Just coming out right away and playing a full 60 minutes [like that]."
"It's frustrating," Alex Killorn added. "Especially when we haven't had the lead a ton in the past 10 or 15 games. To get the lead, especially to get an early goal in third, feeling good about yourselves, to give it up is pretty frustrating."
The Ducks now fly east for a trek that includes a pair of stops in New York, one in New Jersey and the finale in Detroit.
It all starts on Long Island against an Islanders team currently racing up the Metropolitan Division standings, with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games, and coming off a dramatic victory Saturday over Toronto. The Maple Leafs tied the game in the final 10 seconds of regulation that night, on former Isles captain John Tavares' 1000th career NHL point, but the hosts would spoil their guests' fun quickly in overtime on Bo Horvat's game-winner.
“We did face some adversity," New York coach Lane Lambert told media postgame. "I thought, for the most part in the third period, we played the game we wanted to play. They pulled the goalie. They've got a lot of skill, and they ended up tying the hockey game, but we found a way, and that's what good teams do.”
The Islanders (13-7-7, 33 points) sit second in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the rival Rangers.
