PREVIEW: Ducks aiming to return to winning ways, host Senators (6:30p, Prime Ticket)
The Anaheim Ducks host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at Honda Center.
Both teams, each on an eight-game losing skid, are in need of a victory.
For the Ducks, it has been the big things, primarily with scoring goals. Anaheim is 30th in the 31-team league with 2.35 goals per game. They certainly don't have goaltender John Gibson to blame. As of Tuesday, Gibson was fifth in the NHL with a .923 save percentage (minimum 20 games).
https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1083058615907344384
"There were a couple of games mixed in this stretch where we probably should have won, and I think those are the ones that hurt the most because those are the ones that were really close," Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano said, according to the Orange County Register. "... Those are the games you really regret because if you win those you're not talking about this.
"I feel like in previous years we'd win those games. Maybe we won them in overtime, but we won them and we didn't get to this point. Now it all compounds and you start searching for more answers."
The losing streak is the longest in franchise history for the Ducks, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this season.
The Senators are last in the Eastern Conference, and their 35 points are the lowest in the NHL. They also have an NHL-worst minus-36 goal differential.
During the past eight games, the Ducks have scored 11 goals. The Senators have scored 10 goals in their three January games, and have 20 total goals in their eight-game skid.
The Senators have four players who are day-to-day because of injuries: right wing Bobby Ryan (hand), defenseman Thomas Chabot (upper body), goaltender Craig Anderson (concussion) and defenseman Justin Falk (concussion).
While the Ducks have five players on their injured list, center Rickard Rakell is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury.
