ANAHEIM –– The Ducks’ penchant for high drama may not be the result of the stodgy, predictable and risk-averse hockey that’s reigned in NHL front offices of late, but it has quickly sharpened their acumen in big moments.
Fresh off Friday’s 5-4 shootout win that capped their fifth multi-goal comeback of the season and included their fifth tally with the goalie pulled, the Ducks were onto coach Joel Quenneville’s old stomping grounds of Chicago on Sunday and St. Louis on Monday. He coached the Blackhawks from 2008-18 and the Blues from 1996-2004.
Those five goals with six attackers are tied for the league lead with their opponent Friday, the Kings, for the most in the NHL this season.
Where the two teams have differed is how they’ve fared in overtime and shootouts, with the Ducks going 6-0-1 in games that went beyond 60 minutes, while the Kings have taken just four of 11 such affairs. The Ducks have won five bonus-hockey decisions in a row, their last loss coming Oct. 19 against the same Blackhawks they’ll face Sunday
The Ducks have dug plenty of holes to climb out of, having scored first in just one third of their games, winning all eight of those contests. They’re a point shy of .500 when their opponent scores first, as they have in four straight games.
“We’ve had a lot of interesting games, spotting teams leads,” Ducks winger Chris Kreider said. “Good job at coming back and fighting back. It’s probably not a lot of fun for the coaches, but probably fun for the fans.”
For his part, Quenneville, who won three Stanley Cups in Chicago that were marred well after the fact by a sexual abuse scandal involving another member of the staff, said his team wanted to play a speedy but intentional game.
“We like fast-paced, but I don’t want to say I want a track meet,” Quenneville said. “When you’re behind, you don’t mind it, but when you’re playing with the lead or it’s tied, there’s got to be a purpose. We’ve got to recognize the difference and go for it. We know we can score, now let’s make sure we have the puck more.”
Quenneville’s move behind the Ducks’ bench was their second coaching change in three seasons. When they brought in Greg Cronin in 2023-24, there was also an early-season shift in fortunes and a torrent of comeback wins, including four third-period rallies in their first 15 games. But their 9-6-0 start then gave way to a freefall of eight straight regulation losses in a season burdened heavily by injuries and trade-deadline departures.
This season, the Ducks’ 11-3-1 mark after 15 games was dampened by a much shorter slump, three losses, with their roster bolstered by a much stronger commitment from management as well as the development of young players across two seasons under Cronin. Under Quenneville, who won a fourth Cup as an assistant with Colorado, their swagger seems sustainable.
“I hope you guys see that, too. [This is a] different team, different hunger, different mentality,” said center Leo Carlsson, who scored the goal that sent Friday’s game to overtime after compiling two assists.
With goalie Lukáš Dostál out for two to three weeks (shoulder), Petr Mrázek will likely get the call against his former club in Chicago and Ville Husso figures to get the nod in St. Louis, the city where his NHL career began.
“We’ve had great goaltending all season,” Kreider said. “We’ve got to continue to try to help out our goaltenders, because we ask a lot from them every single game.”
Ducks at Chicago
When: 12:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)
Ducks at St. Louis
When: 5 p.m. Monday
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
TV: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)