The Anaheim Ducks will return home for a one-game stint against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 30. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. PT puck drop and will be broadcast on Victory+ and KCOP-13.
The Ducks recently saw their winning streak end with a 4-2 defeat by the Edmonton Oilers. Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke scored for Anaheim, while John Carlson contributed two assists. Carlson’s performance since joining the team has been notable, earning him NHL Third Star of the Week honors after he recorded seven assists in three games last week.
Gauthier said that attention to detail is crucial as the team heads toward the playoffs. “We’re first in the Pacific right now, but not by much and those little details and stuff like that can get kind of overlooked and can cost you a game and a playoff series,” Gauthier said. “So, we’re doing our due diligence to tighten up all those things and be ready to go, firing on all cylinders going into the playoffs.”
Anaheim currently leads the Pacific Division by three points over Edmonton. The Maple Leafs are coming off a loss to St. Louis Blues and have struggled in March with four wins, six losses, and four overtime losses.
Tonight’s matchup draws additional attention due to Radko Gudas’ return following his five-game suspension stemming from an earlier collision with Auston Matthews when these teams last met. Gudas has missed Anaheim’s previous two games but confirmed he will play tonight. “I think it’s going to be an intense game,” Gudas said. “I stand behind my own mistakes. I want to address it myself. It’s one of those games where I have to play.”
Head coach Joel Quenneville commented on the heightened atmosphere expected at Honda Center: “We expect to play like a team,” Quenneville said. “Whether it’s going to feel like a playoff game for us because it’s important for us so that’s basically how we want to approach it.”
Ville Husso will start as goaltender for Anaheim, entering with three wins in his last five starts and a .918 save percentage; Troy Terry also returns after rejoining the lineup against Edmonton.
