The Ducks look to regroup after a poor showing in Game 3, in which Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner had a natural hat trick and their goaltender Lukáš Dostál was replaced after the first period, allowing three goals on eight shots.
Perhaps the Ducks felt too comfortable, as Alex Killorn alluded to postgame, after having one of their best performances of the season in Game 2. Jeff Viel said on Saturday that the team didn’t come ready to play.
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“I think we might have gotten a little bit too comfortable and thought it was going to be easy,” Viel said. “(Vegas is) a veteran team, so they’ve been there before. They were going to raise their game for sure.”
“I think that there’s a lesson to take out of today’s game,” head coach Joel Quenneville said after Game 3. “Only going to get harder every single game, not going to get any easier. So, let’s get ready to go to war.”
Mason McTavish, who was a healthy scratch for Games 2 and 3, will re-enter the lineup for Game 4. Jansen Harkins will come out of the lineup to accommodate McTavish. McTavish is expected to be on a line with Ryan Poehling and Cutter Gauthier.
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Defenseman Drew Helleson was not at Sunday’s morning skate and will miss Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. He is day-to-day, per Quenneville.
Ducks captain Radko Gudas is a game-time decision for Game 4, but the expectation is that he will play and slot into Helleson’s spot alongside Tyson Hinds.
“He’s our guy, he’s the best guy ever and plays so hard,” McTavish said of Gudas. “He’s never fun to play against (while) practicing. So I’m sure he’ll be throwing his body around and winning his battles. He makes a lot of sneaky, really good plays, too, so I’m excited about that.”
“He’s got a great shot, he’s got great vision,” Gudas said of McTavish. “He’s going to be great on the power play. Wherever he’s going to play, I think he’s going to be a big factor for us. We need him to be humming for us to be successful, so I’m looking forward to seeing him back out there and playing a big role for us. He’s a big part of this young core, so we’re happy to see him back in lineup.”
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Vegas’ Mark Stone will miss Game 4 due to an undisclosed injury that he suffered in Game 3. He played just 4:24 before departing during the first period. Brandon Saad will draw into the lineup, making his first appearance of the series.
Ducks Projected Lines
Chris Kreider – Leo Carlsson – Troy Terry
Alex Killorn – Mikael Granlund – Beckett Sennecke
Mason McTavish – Ryan Poehling – Cutter Gauthier
Ross Johnston – Tim Washe – Jeff Viel
Jackson LaCombe – Jacob Trouba
Tyson Hinds – Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov – John Carlson
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Golden Knights Projected Lines
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Pavel Dorofeyev
Brett Howden – William Karlsson – Mitch Marner
Brandon Saad – Tomáš Hertl – Keegan Kolesar
Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Colton Sissons
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
Ben Hutton – Dylan Coghlan
Carter Hart (confirmed)
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