It may not be Kendrick Lamar against Drake, but Southern California and Toronto will clash just the same when the Maple Leafs try to strike a chord at Honda Center against the Ducks on Sunday.
It’ll be the Ducks’ 13th and final matchup with an “Original Six” franchise this season (6-4-2 record) and their third in a row, with the last two sending them into the contest on a tempered roll.
They’ve gone 3-1-1 in their past five games and won their last two in compelling fashion. They dominated the Boston Bruins on Wednesday and then rallied from two goals down despite a torrent of third-period penalties to hand the New York Rangers a deflating overtime defeat Friday.
“We’ve made a commitment to playing a certain way, and we challenged the players to hold each other accountable to a certain standard,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said of his team’s late-season bright spots despite their playoff hopes having faded.
Not only were the Ducks shorthanded on the ice frequently against New York, they were undermanned on the bench after Jacob Trouba, who captained the Rangers up until his departure via trade to the Ducks, went down with an injury in the third period.
Multiple reports from practice indicated that Trouba was deemed “day to day,” while forwards Robby Fabbri and Ross Johnston were now likely to miss the season as a result of their respective upper-body injuries.
One player who has proven exceptionally able-bodied has been rookie Cutter Gauthier, not only in terms of his durability (he’s one of three Ducks to play in all 72 games so far) but also his athleticism. When the Philadelphia Flyers drafted him fifth overall in 2022, Gauthier had blown away scouts and executives with his fitness testing and other measurables at the combine.
“He’s a real natural athlete. I joke around with him at times, like, if he was a sprinter, he’d be a helluva sprinter, because he’s got that fast twitch to him,” Cronin said.
Gauthier’s play in the second half of the campaign has seen boosts in production, confidence and judgment – his shot selection and spatial awareness have improved markedly – but there are still levels to ascend for the first-year pro after two seasons at Boston College.
“I think we’re just scratching the surface with Cutter. His down-low game is still developing,” Cronin said
Of late, Gauthier has been reunited with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn, and that trio combined for 12 points against Boston and New York. He and Carlsson seemed like a potential pair during Gauthier’s Game 82 debut last season, training camp and the nascent stage of this campaign. But they were split up for much of the year, with Gauthier working his way back up the lineup sheet.
“Cutter’s now developed an identity independent of who he’s playing with, and that’s really the challenge when you’re coaching young kids, they’ve got to try and be not dependent on their linemates,” Cronin said. “He’s got a natural ability to have breakaway speed, and he’s got the shot.”
He added: “He can drive any line now instead of just participating on it.”
Toronto, one of three short-list contenders in the Atlantic Division, has no shortage of players who can drive play.
They include stud center Auston Matthews, creative two-way winger Mitch Marner and dynamic second-generation NHL forward William Nylander. They were all prospering ahead of Saturday’s showdown with the Kings, meaning Sunday will be the tail end of a back-to-back set for Toronto, though the hottest Leaf was veteran and former captain John Tavares with 11 points in his past five games.
TORONTO AT DUCKS
When: Sunday, 5 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
TV: KTTV (Ch. 11), Victory +