I posted a preview ahead of tonight’s game between the Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks (6 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Extra/Victory+/KCOP-13/97.1 FM), and this afternoon, the Ducks and Red Wings’ respective websites posted previews as well.
Here’s what AnaheimDucks.com has to say about tonight’s game:
Anaheim hits the midway point of a three-game road trip looking to replicate a strong performance Saturday night in Boston, a 3-2 overtime victory clinched by Leo Carlsson’s game-winning goal.
“I thought we were really good in the first period, on our toes and on the puck a lot,” head coach Greg Cronin said. “Second period turned into a special teams game…In the third period it was a typical kind of a playoff game. You have to eliminate any scoring chances against and keep the puck in their zone. For the most part, we did a good job in that department.”
Emerging from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a fourth consecutive win, and the club’s seventh in the last eight games, the Ducks are now 25-24-7 on the season, just seven points back of a Western Conference Wild Card position.
“We’ve had that confidence since before Christmas time,” Cronin said, referencing wins over Winnipeg, Edmonton and New Jersey in December. “Those are games I call benchmark games, you know you can compete with anyone in the league. Now we just need to keep finding ways to get better as a group.”
The preview continues, discussing goaltender John Gibson’s injury, and Lukas Dostal’s status as a viable back-up goalie…
And DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills discusses the redemptive quality of today’s game, given that the Wings lost to Minnesota yesterday at this time:
Detroit (28-22-6; 62 points) and Anaheim (25-24-6; 56 points) will drop the puck for their season series finale at 6 p.m., which will be broadcasted on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). The Red Wings last played the Ducks on Nov. 15, when they fell short, 6-4, at Honda Center.
“I guess that’s the nice part,” Lucas Raymond said after Saturday’s game. “We get another crack at it right away [on Sunday]. We know what we should have done better [on Saturday]. I think we played a pretty solid game for the first two-and-a-half [periods], then let it slip away from us. Get another crack at it [on Sunday], and I think everyone will be really eager to get that one back.”
Raymond and captain Dylan Larkin each had a power-play goal and an assist against the Wild, increasing their point totals to a club-high 61 (22 goals, 39 assists) and 52 (24 goals, 28 assists), respectively, on the season. The pair of Detroit forwards also participated at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, representing their native countries first at Bell Centre then TD Garden from Feb. 12-20.
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The Ducks are sixth in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division and have won seven of their last eight games, taking their fourth straight win with a 3-2 overtime road victory against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Boasting a team-high 40 points (17 goals, 24 assists) is Troy Terry, who notched an assist in Boston on Saturday. Frank Vatrano, who is second on Anaheim in scoring with 31 points, has three goals in his last five games, including one against the Bruins.
Netminder John Gibson left Saturday’s game at the second intermission with an upper-body injury and goaltender Lukas Dostal earned the win by stopping nine shots in relief.
“There’s time in between for us,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said about both clubs wrapping up their respective back-to-back sets on Sunday. “That’s a good thing…We’ll let them go home, rest, sleep, eat. They’ll have a good night’s sleep. We don’t have to fly anywhere or have to travel. We’ve been off for two weeks. I expect our group to come back [on Sunday] ready and willing.”
