Like two of the younger teams in the NHL, many players at the Anaheim Ducks and Utah Hockey Club get their first taste of a playoffs.
Anaheim and Utah will continue their quest for a basket after the season when they meet Wednesday evening in Salt Lake City.
Both teams will be eager to add two points to their season in total and try to get closer to the second Wild-Card place in the Western conference.
After earning points in three straight matches (1-0-2) and six of the last seven (4-1-2), Utah is three points behind Calgary Flames in the hunt for the second wild card, while the ducks are seven points behind Calgary.
Utah collected from a 3-1 deficit to send the game to overtime Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks but lost 4-3.
Utah then stormed back from a 3-0 deficit on Monday against visiting Toronto Maple Leafs by scoring three straight goals but lost 4-3 in a shootout.
“Really good effort. We have to build on it,” said Utah defender Michael Kesselring. “We have to continue playing that way to Anaheim because we need the two points.”
Utah General Manager Bill Armstrong was worried early in the season that his young players could unnecessarily burn energy or have trouble smooth out their feelings, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem at this season for coach Andre Tourigny.
“We’re talking about the young people in our team-vi is the second youngest team in the league-there is a growing curve for us,” Tourigny said. “How the guys embrace it and how they learn and develop it is fantastic. That’s why we want to play such games, meaningful games. They are in it.”
The ducks hosted the Washington Capitals on Tuesday evening and fought back from three deficits on one goal before handing over the last three goals in the third period in a 7-4 loss.
Anaheim has lost four of six matches since a 5-2 victory against the visiting Vancouver Canucks on February 27 drew them within six points from the final wild card.
“It’s terrible that we lost the game,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said after the defeat to the capitals. “For me it is one of the games you can build on as a coach. We will still do it, but it gives more confidence in it when you win the game. But we will learn from it and we will move on. We have no time to really lick our wounds; we have to be ready for Utah.”
Anaheim received solid contributions from his defenders against Washington: Jacob Trouba scored his first goal since his trading from the New York Rangers on December 6, and Pavel Mintyukov and Drew Helleson also scored.
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