Although the pageantry of the home opener at Honda Center might be dampened by rain, there will be an all-weather clash between amphibious birds when the Ducks welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
The Ducks split their season-igniting road trip with a tame effort in Seattle that came closer to spanning 20 minutes than 60 against the Kraken and then a robust exchange of blows with the Sharks in a 7-6 victory.
In San Jose, the Ducks got goals from Chris Kreider in the final minute of the second and third periods and then an OT winner from Leo Carlsson in the first minute of overtime.
Center Mason McTavish said that he was enthused by the Ducks’ shot volume – they combined for 79 strikes on net in the two games – and said the emphasis would be on tightening up defensively as they faced Pittsburgh and then the formidable Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
McTavish and Cutter Gauthier, who formed a potent pair last season that was joined by Robby Fabbri and then Sam Colangelo, have been skating with rookie Beckett Sennecke. Sennecke has soaked up instruction and summarily discarded poor habits from the preseason. Not only did he become just the third Duck in franchise history to score a goal in each of his first two games, but Sennecke has tidied up his passing and routes in short order.
“Yeah, I mean it’s kind of hard for me to touch on that just because I wasn’t there to see him [at first],” said McTavish, who missed most of training camp while negotiating his contract extension. “But with smart players, when you play them with other smart players, they get better and it gets easier for them. He’s a smart player, we’re lucky to have him and it’s been fun playing with him.”
While No. 2 goalie Petr Mrázek’s Ducks debut in San Jose was far from resplendent, a pair of new additions up front, Kreider and Mikael Granlund, have already made an impact. They combined for four points in the first two games of the campaign.
“They’re a team you definitely have to respect and be ready for. They’ve got a mix of some young players who can be dangerous with too much time and space,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “Some of the vets they have in there now, especially with some new faces in there, they’ve definitely got a blend.”
Like the Ducks, the Penguins also have a first-year head coach in Muse (whose staff includes former Ducks assistant Richard Clune), albeit one with considerably less experience than Joel Quenneville. Quenneville ranks seconds all time in NHL coaching wins, while Muse will enter Tuesday’s action with two career victories.
Muse said there was “a base that’s there” in terms of implementing his system in Pittsburgh (2-1-0), but that there was no expectation to have fully integrated players by this early point in the season. While Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang (questionable) continue to grace the Penguins’ marquee, young players like Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunnicke could be keys to the club’s growth this season.
All of the Penguins should be facing a charged atmosphere on Katella Avenue on Tuesday, where fan festivities and “orange carpet” arrivals will begin at 3:30 p.m. before pregame kicks off around 6:45 and puck drop takes place at 7:44. Whenever fans arrive at their seat, a Wild Wing mask will await each person in attendance.
PENGUINS AT DUCKS
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
TV: KCOP (Ch. 13)