The Anaheim Ducks started a four-game road trip across Canada with a game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 10. The puck drop was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, with coverage on KCOP-13 and Victory+.
This stretch of games is important for the Ducks as they continue to compete for playoff positioning. Despite being shut out by the St. Louis Blues in their previous game, Anaheim had recently completed a successful nine-game homestand, winning seven of those contests.
Head coach Joel Quenneville said after the loss to St. Louis, “We weren’t very good, but give the other team credit, man, were they good. That’s as good of a team game and structure as we’ve seen played all year long. They got off to a good start and we never really got on track all game long.” Jansen Harkins added, “I think the last game, I think you could tell we were just a step behind.”
Despite that setback, Anaheim entered Monday night holding first place in the Pacific Division by one point over the Golden Knights. Newly acquired defenseman John Carlson joined the team for this road trip but is not expected to make his debut until later in the week due to recovery from a lower-body injury. Quenneville said they are “targeting the end of the trip” for Carlson’s return. Troy Terry also traveled with the team but remains uncertain to play as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury.
The Jets came into this matchup riding a three-game winning streak and had not played since defeating Vancouver 3-2 in overtime on Saturday. Mark Scheifele leads Winnipeg in goals (30), assists (48), and points (78), and was named NHL First Star of the Week after recording eight points—including two game-winning goals—in three games last week.
Harkins discussed what it would take for Anaheim to secure another win over Winnipeg: “I think they have a lot of structure, they have tons of guys who have played here for years now and they’ve kind of always played the same way,” he said. “We’ve gotta expect them to be really connected and not giving up anything really easy or for free. [I think we’re] going to have to work and use our speed. That’s kind of our advantage tonight.”
This contest marked the final regular season meeting between Anaheim and Winnipeg this year; Anaheim had won both previous matchups, including an overtime victory after rallying from behind late last month.
