The Anaheim Ducks will continue their Canadian road trip with a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 12. The matchup follows Anaheim’s recent 4-1 victory over Winnipeg, which gave the Ducks a three-point lead over Edmonton and Las Vegas in their division.
The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. PT puck drop and will be broadcast on KCOP-13 and Victory+.
In the win against Winnipeg, Ryan Poehling, Alex Killorn, and Jackson LaCombe each contributed a goal and an assist, while Tim Washe added another goal. Head coach Joel Quenneville said, “We’ve got a good mix, we’ve got good balance. We know we can score goals, and tonight is a good thing to bounce back to, about knowing that we can check too.”
Poehling commented on the team’s performance by saying, “We’re doing it together, that’s the biggest thing. It’s the consistency that we’ve brought. Everyone’s showing it throughout the lineup … It’s a full effort from the team and I think that’s what kind of makes it so dangerous.”
Tonight’s game marks a homecoming for Beckett Sennecke, who grew up in Toronto and currently co-leads NHL rookies in scoring. Quenneville spoke about Sennecke’s development: “I think he’s progressed every single day. I think he’s gotten stronger, probably feels more comfortable with his game. He’s playing against strong guys, but I think he’s shown he can hold his own in tight areas … He’s learning on the job, but you’ve gotta love his attitude and the way he approaches coming to the game every day.”
The Maple Leafs enter this contest on an eight-game losing streak (0-6-2). William Nylander leads Toronto in assists (38) and points (60), while Auston Matthews has scored 26 goals this season. Despite Toronto’s struggles, Poehling said of their opponent: “They’ve got a lot of skill, if we get back to playing simple, I think that’s going to be our best chance to win. These guys have high talent and if you give them easy access to free plays, they make you pay for it. So for us, [we need to] keep it simple and kind of play behind them is the biggest thing.”
This meeting is the first of two between Anaheim and Toronto this season; they are set to play again in Anaheim on March 30. Drew Helleson returns to Anaheim’s lineup for this game while Troy Terry and new acquisition John Carlson remain out.
