Ducks have 'swagger' heading into game with Lightning

The Anaheim Ducks have been beating the NHL's best lately and will have another chance Sunday when the Tampa Bay Lightning finish their three-game California road swing.

During a recent three-game winning streak, the Ducks received a major boost from right winger Troy Terry.

In his fourth full NHL campaign in 2021-22, Terry broke out by hitting the net 37 times and adding 30 assists in a 67-point output in 75 games -- a 0.49 goals-per-game average that simmered over the next two seasons.

He currently has 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points to lead Anaheim in all three categories.

Skating on the top line with left winger Frank Vatrano and center Ryan Strome, Terry has four goals and two assists in the past five matches, including the overtime game-winner in Winnipeg on Thursday.

That gave his club three straight victories over the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils and Jets.

Anaheim has rallied to win seven times in the third period and four times from multi-goal deficits, second overall in the league.

"The difference this year, when we go down a goal there with two minutes left, we have a little bit more swagger and confidence that we're OK and can still tie this game up," Terry said. "No matter where the game is at, we have confidence in the group that we can pull it off."

Yet after erasing a two-goal deficit in Edmonton on Friday for a third-period tie, Anaheim had its winning streak end as Leon Draisaitl scored with 95 seconds remaining for a 3-2 Oilers win.

Vatrano has nine goals and 11 assists this season, while Strome owns seven tallies and 14 helpers.

In their all-time series with the Ducks, the Lightning have been victorious in five straight matches and eight of the past nine, but they go to Anaheim on a three-game losing skid.

Sunday's game will be the back end of their fifth back-to-back set this season. The Lightning slipped to 2-3-0 on the front end Saturday night with a second consecutive 2-1 loss, this time to the host Los Angeles Kings.

Tampa Bay is 2-2-0 in the second games.

After departing Thursday's game against the San Jose Sharks bloodied from taking a puck to the ear, Victor Hedman tallied on the first shot of the game against the Kings for his fifth goal. The 2018 Norris Trophy winner has 24 assists.

Frustration mounted in the loss to the tight-checking Kings, who won their ninth straight home clash.

"It's frustrating, I felt like we were tilting the ice," Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "It's tough to think of a moral victory at this point in the season."

With top goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (19 saves) losing for the third time in four outings, Jonas Johansson likely will start against Anaheim.

The 29-year-old Johansson has been a reliable replacement for one of the world's top goalies though the Swede dropped his most recent decision 5-2 to the Montreal Canadiens to end 2024.

In the prior three starts, Johansson denied 86 of 89 shots (.966 save percentage) in wins over the Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers, whom the netminder blanked with 36 saves.

Johansson is 4-2-1 with a 3.36 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

Hard-hitting defenseman Erik Cernak (nine assists) will skate in his 400th NHL game Sunday and is three points from reaching 100 in his seven-year career.

--Field Level Media