The Ducks will return to home ice for the second half of a weekend back-to-back, tonight hosting the Boston Bruins at Honda Center.
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In addition to wearing their new 30th Anniversary season jerseys, the Ducks will offer in-game discounts and exclusive, limited edition merchandise tonight to members of The Mighty loyalty program. For more information, click here.
On the ice, the Ducks will look for their second win of the young season after a disappointing 2-1 loss yesterday in Arizona. The Ducks directed 33 shots on net, but could beat Coyotes netminder Karel Vejmelka just once before buzzer sounded.
"I thought [the first] was a good period of hockey and then we take two penalties late in the first and they generated some energy off that," coach Greg Cronin said postgame. "I thought that changed the complexion of the period and that changed the complexion of the game."
"We competed, every game this year, we've competed," Frank Vatrano, who scored Anaheim's lone goal Saturday, said. "You don't get the two points at the end of the day, which can be frustrating, and there are a few things we need to clean up, but I like our work ethic and I like that we're sticking up for each other. We've just got to get on the other end of this thing."
Vatrano's goal, Anaheim's first power-play goal of the year, brought the Ducks within one but a late flurry of looks at the equalizer would prove unsuccessful in forcing overtime.
"Before the game, we kind of highlighted some things we wanted to do on the power play, generate a lot of chances and we were lucky to get out there with some time left and capitalize," Vatrano told NHL.com's Alan Robinson. "[But] we could have had a little more traffic in front of [Vejmelka's] eyes, made it a little harder on him."
The power-play tally continued a hot start for Vatrano, whose four goals in his first four games are the most by a Duck since Corey Perry in 2013-14.
Back home, a key point for Anaheim will be flipping the script on an unsightly trend early in the season, the march to the penalty box. The Ducks were forced to kill five minor penalties in the loss Saturday, allowing an Arizona power-play goal and a 6-on-5 marker on a delayed penalty that ultimately proved the difference.
"I think we're playing hard and sometimes the calls don't go your way," Vatrano said. "It's on me. I take it on myself that I took a couple of penalties [Saturday]. As a team together we just have to stay out of the box."
"Fatigue will set in and then guys are sitting on the bench, the rhythm of the game gets pickled," Cronin said. "Guys don't get on the ice and then the guys that are on the ice get tired. The effort was there, it's been there every game [but] the execution gets sloppy."
The Ducks have been shorthanded 22 times through four games, but have only had 12 power-play opportunities.
Anaheim will host a Boston club off to another hot start this season, now 4-0-0 after a 4-2 win over the Kings last night in Los Angeles. New Bruins captain Brad Marchand scored twice while the always formidable David Pastrnak buried his fifth goal of the new year as part of a three-point night.
Pastrnak has been a thorn in Anaheim's side over the years, with 10 goals in 14 career matchups.
