While the Anaheim Ducks will be out to regain the form that powered them to a recent five-game winning streak, the visiting New York Islanders will try to put together back-to-back victories for just the third time this season when the teams meet Saturday.
The Ducks will enter off a 4-2 home loss to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday that not only ended their offensive-minded winning run but also stopped their streak of games with at least five goals at eight games. It was the longest run of five-goal games in the NHL in 38 years.
Despite the loss, Anaheim saw one streak continue as Cutter Gauthier extended his run of consecutive games with a goal to seven games. Gauthier has scored 14 goals and posted three hat tricks during the productive offensive onslaught.
Gauthier also has a point in nine consecutive games and 18 total points over that span. Adding to Anaheim’s optimism moving forward was the season debut of Troy Terry on Wednesday after he missed the first 17 games of the season due to offseason hip surgery. He is in his 10th season with the Ducks.
“It was a lot of feeling out for me, whether it was in my game or in my body,” said Terry, who had 19 goals and 57 points last season and has scored as many as 37 goals in a season (2021-22). “I can feel when I want the puck and when I’m just trying to get through the game, and I felt like I was starting to want it more at the end.”
Laurent Brossoit was in goal for the Ducks for the fifth time in the past six games and made 18 saves but he was reassigned to San Diego of the AHL on Friday.
The Islanders remain in Southern California following a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Brayden Schenn scored a goal with two assists as New York ended a four-game losing streak.
Schenn’s goal came in the opening six minutes of the game before he had assists on goals from Matthew Schaefer and Victor Eklund. Simon Holmstrom scored an unassisted goal 39 seconds into the third period for a 4-2 lead.
“When you get one early like that, it gives you a two-goal lead. It’s not that you play more loose, I think you just realize you can get a little bit more aggressive,” Schenn said. “Leads to more O-zone time, leads to (defenders) pinching, holding in pucks. … As the game went on, I think we got better.”
Schenn has recorded a point in four consecutive games, with two goals and five assists in the stretch.
Eklund scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game. He also scored in a 3-2 home victory over the Ducks on Oct. 20 that gave the Islanders back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
New York also delivered back-to-back victories on the road Oct. 27 and 29 with victories over the Predators and Minnesota Wild.
Ilya Sorokin had 26 saves for the Islanders in the victory over the Kings. He has been in goal in five of the past six games and has a 2.53 goals-against average on the season. His .915 save percentage stands 12th in the NHL entering Saturday’s games.
