The Anaheim Ducks look to rebound from a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. They’ll face the Boston Bruins, who have lost six consecutive games. The Bruins are coming off a 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Mar. 23.
“We gotta play our game,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said when asked to combat a Bruins team that is desperate to get back in the win column. “We have moments when we’re very consistent and predictable in the way we play, we kind of flirt with that. I thought the first period and a half against Carolina, we were on our heels a bit, trying to change the mentality, so we’re on our toes the whole game. There are moments where we can dominate games, like in the last half of the Dallas game––I thought we were terrific. Third period against Carolina, I thought we dominated. As a staff, we’re trying to find a way to get our guys to play at that level for 60 minutes.”
Sam Colangelo is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last five games with an upper-body injury, slotting in for Brett Leason on the fourth line. Colangelo said that the injury was something that he’s been dealing with the entire season.
“It’s something that I’ve dealt with all year,” he said. “Kind of happened before training camp, battled through it all of training camp. Kind of went away for a few months and came back every now and then. (It) came back during the Utah game a little bit––I was alright to play during the game, not an excuse for my play during the game. A day or two later, it really sparked up and I had to get off the ice for a bit.
“I feel good, ready to be back. Been chomping at the bit the last few days here. Back on the ice for about five or six days now. It’s tough to be out, especially when I’m trying to continue the momentum that I had there for a bit. I didn’t love my game in Utah, but I was playing through a little something there. I feel good now and I’m ready to be back.”
This will be the first time that Colangelo plays against the Bruins, the team he grew up rooting for. Colangelo is from Stoneham, just 10 miles away from TD Garden. “It’s the team I’ve rooted for my whole life. I think it’s kind of full circle once you go back and play in your hometown, but even the first one at home against your hometown team is a cool feeling and something that I talked a little bit about with my parents. I’m really excited and it’s a dream come true.
“They’re gonna come out hard. I think we just gotta play our game from the drop of the puck. Wins or losses in the past don’t really matter, it’s about the game tonight. They’ve been on a little bit of a skid, so I’m sure they’re gonna come out ready to go. We just gotta match that and play better than them.”
Isac Lundeström and Pavel Mintyukov were both absent from Tuesday’s practice due to illness, but both are expected to be in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Bruins. John Gibson starts for Anaheim and is just three wins away from tying Jean-Sébastien Giguère for the most wins by a goaltender in franchise history.
Ducks Projected Lines
Cutter Gauthier – Leo Carlsson – Alex Killorn
Frank Vatrano – Ryan Strome – Troy Terry
Nikita Nesterenko – Mason McTavish – Trevor Zegras
Jansen Harkins – Isac Lundeström – Sam Colangelo
Jackson LaCombe – Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger – Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov – Drew Helleson
John Gibson (confirmed)
Bruins Projected Lines
Marat Khusnutdinov – Casey Mittelstadt – David Pastrňák
Morgan Geekie – Pavel Zacha – Fabian Lysell
Cole Koepke – Elias Lindholm – Fabian Lysell
Jakub Lauko – John Beecher – Patrick Brown
Parker Wotherspoon – Henri Jokiharju
Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke
Michael Callahan – Ian Mitchell
Joonas Korpisalo (confirmed)
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