The Anaheim Ducks will try to continue their best start in more than 10 years when they visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
The Ducks have won four straight and six of seven to build an early 8-3-1 record — their best start since the team opened 10-3-0 in 2014-15.
“We had a good homestand,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said of the three-game sweep against the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, outscoring the trio 16-6. “We did a lot of good things each and every night against good hockey teams.”
Some of the youngest players for the Ducks are off to the best starts.
Cutter Gauthier, 21, recorded his first NHL hat trick in the 7-3 win against the Panthers on Tuesday night. He has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in a career-best seven-game point streak.
“He’s just a pure goal scorer,” Ducks forward Nikita Nesterenko said. “He’s got an unbelievable shot, unbelievable release. I saw him do it a bunch in college.”
Leo Carlsson, 20, is also riding a career-best seven-game point streak (three goals, nine assists).
Carlsson and Gauthier are the first NHL teammates age 21 or younger to have simultaneous point streaks of at least seven games since Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers in 2016-17.
“We’re super confident. We have a really good team,” Gauthier said. “A lot of depth. Guys buying in this locker room. There’s no complaining. Coach Q says stuff, and we get it done.”
The Ducks have the attention of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, who also lost to Anaheim in a shootout last week in Florida.
“They’re in that mix of teams that have acquired the talent through the draft and have done a really good job with it, and then developed some players,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said of the Ducks. “Now, they’re going to get the payoff from it.”
Dallas comes in on a seven-game point streak (4-0-3). The Stars have gone past regulation the past three games, most recently beating the Oilers 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.
Edmonton took a 2-0 lead seven minutes into the game, but the Stars came back to win for the third time this season when trailing after the first period.
“It’s not exactly how we scripted it, but you got to find ways to win,” Dallas center Wyatt Johnston said. “We’ve always been a team with patience and a no-quit attitude. We believe we can come back in any game. We just got to keep chipping away.”
Because of injuries, the Stars have been playing with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in recent games.
That just means more shifts for top players like Mikki Rantanen, who has three goals and two assists in the past two games.
“(Rantanen) is so big for us. He’s a big man, but he’s so big for us in more ways than on the ice,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He’s tremendous on the ice, a tremendous competitor. He’s a great leader. He’s just so good for our locker room. Again, top players against top players you can see everything rises and it’s exciting to watch.”
