Despite the setback Thursday, Anaheim outshot San Jose 34-19 - a renewed focus for Ducks coaches and players entering the new season.
"We're promoting it, it's going to be a priority," Cronin said. "You want pucks on the net even from poor angles and there has to be traffic. It puts a lot of stress on the defense and the goaltending. It's a mindset we have to have."
Anaheim's top forwards, the lines centered by Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson, carried the offense Thursday with a combined four points and 24 shots on goal, and Sunday's game group includes a first look at the new Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano and Robby Fabbri trio.
"I'm very familiar with Stromer and adding Fabbri to the mix has been great," Vatrano said. "He works hard and makes plays. He's a great guy to have on your team.
"The first game, you're trying to get your timing down. You're taking contact for the first time in months. Once you make some plays under pressure and see some pucks go positively for you, you take that into the regular season. You always want to have a good preseason and carry that into the regular season."
On the other side, the Kings have split a pair of 3-2 decisions in their opening two exhibition games, a loss in Salt Lake City to the Utah Hockey Club and a win Wednesday in Vegas that was quickly overshadowed by the loss of star defenseman Drew Doughty. The longtime King fractured his ankle on an awkward crash into the boards and is now considered month-to-month. Doughty has led LA in time-on-ice in each of the last 15 seasons.
“It sucks,” defenseman Mikey Anderson told LA Kings Insider Zach Dooley. “Anyone getting hurt, on either team, you don’t want to see it but when it’s someone on your own team, especially [Doughty], who is a big part of the room, plays a lot of minutes, it sucks. Hoping everything can come around quick, but it’s a big loss for sure.”
In Doughty's absence, the Kings will turn to a pair of highly-touted youngsters in Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence on the right side of their defense corps - with veterans Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov already holding top-four spots on the left.
“I caught Mikey and Gavy after practice, and brought Joel Edmundson in there too, if Drew’s out for any length of time, those three become even more important,” head coach Jim Hiller told Dooley. “They’re clearly important on the ice, but Drew is a very vocal leader and so that slack would have to be picked up between the three of them with their experience. That would be the group of three I think we would lean on back there.”
Following today's game, the Ducks and Kings will face off again Monday at Honda Center.
