Anaheim Ducks has been eliminated from the playoffs and Colorado Avalanche is locked in its seed, so Sunday night’s matchup in Anaheim, California, will have no impact on the Western conference.
The game remains meaningful to young players trying to get a foot in the NHL. Anaheim (35-36-8, 78 points) lacks the playoffs for the seventh straight season, the third longest drought in the league.
This season was a jump for Ducks, which has 19 points than last year-with three matches left-and won 35 matches for the first time since 2018-19. Anaheim has seven players on the guard list who are 23 or younger, and six more who have not yet celebrated their 26th days.
These last three games are not meaningless to them – or the ducks.
“We are trying to build on an identity,” said coach Greg Cronin. “It’s another game, it’s another pace, it’s another intensity. So it’s critical that they go through this kind of game. It will help in the long term.
“These are the games we need to get comfortable to play. And you can measure yourself. Your competing level. Your decisions with the puck. All the things included in the playoffs.”
One of these young people, 22-year-old Mason Mctavish, is second in the team with 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists), and 20-year-old Leo Carlsson is third with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists).
Veteran Troy Terry leads Anaheim with 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists).
Colorado (48-29-4, 100 points) does not put its best players on the ice in their last match in the regular season. The team’s two best scorers, Nathan Mackinnon (116 points) and Cale Makar (92), as well as Devon Toews, did not make the trip to Southern California.
Ryan Lindgren (upper body), Ross Colton (Unisclosed), Jonathan Drouin (lower body) and Josh Manson (upper body) also stayed at home this weekend.
Drouin will have missed the last six games while Manson, which has been tormented by injuries this season, has not played since March 14.
Mackinnon chose to rest to chase the art Ross Trophy while spouses will end the season as the best score defender in the NHL. Spouses are the first defender who scored 30 goals since Mike Green 2008-09 and only the ninth defender in the NHL story that reaches this brand.
He also set the Franchise record for points by a defender for a season.
“Yes, 30 goals by a defender is crazy,” said Lindgren, acquired from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. “I used to only see him twice a year. You see the highlights, but then come here and actually play with him and see what he does on a nightly basis – I don’t want to say it’s not surprising that he can do it, but I suppose it is. He’s just so much every night. It’s pretty cool to see.”
-Field level media
