Division title nearly in reach as Ducks travel to Flames

The Anaheim Ducks will not just be looking to continue their push for a playoff spot for the first time in eight years when they continue their road trip by facing the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

The Ducks are eying up a division title.

And to make things even better for the Ducks (40-27-4, 84 points), they are receiving much-needed boosts in the lineup.

For starters, Mason McTavish snapped a 15-game scoring slump when he broke open a third-period tie and sparked the Ducks to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday to kick off a three-game road swing.

"It's been pretty hard," said McTavish, one of the few Anaheim players to be struggling through a disappointing season. "It's been a tough couple weeks, stretch of games for me, so it's nice to get that one for sure. It was a great feeling."

Anaheim, which is riding a three-game winning streak and posted a 4-0-1 mark in its last five, holds a five-point lead on the Edmonton Oilers in the chase for the Pacific Division title. The Ducks have won 40 games for the first time since 2017-18, the last time they reached the Stanley Cup playoffs.

To top off the victory, offensively gifted defenseman John Carlson -- who was acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline -- collected three assists. He had one assist in the first four matches since the swap.

"Getting used to some things, getting used to some players, little things like that but otherwise, it's a great group of guys that have welcomed me," he said. "I feel comfortable and confident in here, and it's a fun team."

The Flames, despite being all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention continue to show they refuse to go down without a fight.

Calgary (30-34-7, 67 points) extended its winning streak to a season-high four games with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

The Flames are in the depths of a rebuild, but the victory featured a glimpse of the future.

Rookie defenseman Zayne Parekh scored his first goal of the season to tie the clash in the third period, a tally set up by young sniper Matt Coronato and rookie Matvei Gridin.

"It was nice to find one," said Parekh, who was selected ninth overall in the 2024 draft. "I was putting pucks to the net. Eventually you hope it's going to go in and it did. I like the way I'm playing. I like the way my game's trending. I'm having fun. We're winning hockey games, so it's a lot of fun."

Parekh may not have enjoyed the offensive success expected by the fans, but the Flames are not worried about that, considering he could have spent the season in junior.

"What he is doing is learning to be more of a complete player and I think he's done an excellent job at that," coach Ryan Huska said. "The points are going to come for him, that's a matter of time. It's starting to feel comfortable and how to play in the NHL."

The trio of Parekh, Gridin and Coronato were also skating together during the three-on-three overtime.

"Hopefully, we'll play for 15 more years together and generate a lot," said Gridin, who Calgary grabbed with the 28th pick in 2024.

--Field Level Media