On the ice, the Ducks’ dash through Winnipeg and Calgary could only be deemed a success.
Read more San Juan Capistrano’s District 2 has two looking to fill open seat
From a bottom-line standpoint, they earned four points with a pair of regulation wins on Friday and Saturday.
In terms of question marks, their young defensemen answered affirmatively after a disastrous second period in a home loss to Edmonton, with rookie Noah Warren shining brightly in extended minutes.
A stifling effort against the Jets gave way to a resilient win in Calgary, versus the same Flames that they’ll host on Tuesday.
There was just one significant problem: Cutter Gauthier and Ryan Poehling were both lost to injury in the tail of the back-to-back set.
Gauthier departed the game early, with no clear sign of trauma, after only a couple minutes of ice time. He dealt with two broken vertebrae during the playoffs, though his malady was described this time as only “an upper-body injury.”
He had a similar now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t foray into practice on Monday, per multiple reports. He took the ice in a standard full-contact jersey but left the surface not long after. He did not return to practice and should be considered questionable for Tuesday’s tilt.
Poehling, who notched a goal and an assist, was involved in a more dramatic incident. As he scored the game-winning goal, he was tripped up by the sliding stick check of Zayne Parekh, which sent Poehling knee-first into the goalpost.
Read more Field of 5 vying for three seats on Brea City Council
He was not on the ice Monday and should be considered doubtful for the rematch with Calgary.
Gauthier led the Ducks (4-0-1) in both goals and total points last season, and scored at a point-per-game clip this fall prior to exiting early in Calgary. There, Poehling picked up his first two points of the season.
Both players signed contract extensions recently, with Poehling inking a four-year, $3.75 million a year pact late last season and Gauthier getting an 11th hour agreement done just ahead of training camp, one worth $13.5 million annually for six years.
The win in Winnipeg was one of the best overall defensive efforts in recent memory, with Jets coach Scott Arniel telling reporters that the Ducks were “a really good skating team” and not the opponent he’d have liked to face in the team’s fifth match in eight nights.
Leo Carlsson paces the Ducks in scoring, but only defending champion Carolina’s Sebastian Aho has a longer points streak to start the season than the Ducks’ Mikael Granlund and Jackson LaCombe. They have recorded a point in each of their first five games and are two of just 12 players this season who have recorded a point in each of their team’s games.
Aho has scored as many goals, six, as the entire Flames (0-5-0) roster this season, as have four other players tied with him atop the leaderboard.
Coach Ryan Huska always had his team competitive and prepared, but in the bigger picture they’re prepared for a lot of losing and a high draft pick in this abject rebuilding year. They’re one of three teams without a win –– the Kings and Philadelphia Flyers are the other two –– and they’re the only club without so much as a point in the standings.
Read more Emergency help was delayed by confusion after failed execution of Christa Pike, 911 calls reveal