Anaheim's story is offense. The Ducks won 4 straight with 5 goals in each, beating Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary on the road and Pittsburgh at home. Nashville then came in on the 2nd night of a back-to-back and won 4-2, with Justus Annunen stopping 27 shots and holding the Ducks to 2. That's the loss Anaheim brings into Saturday, and it showed that the offense can be stopped by a goalie who's dialed in.
Cutter Gauthier is the reason the Ducks are fun to watch. He scored again against Nashville, which made it 7 straight games with a goal and 9 straight with a point, 18 points in that span. The Islanders' main job is to keep him from getting to his shot. With Pulock back on the blue line, they have more to work with than they did a week ago.
The schedule favors Anaheim. The Ducks will have had a few days off after the Nashville game. The Islanders play their 3rd game in 6 days, at the end of a long road trip, two nights after a 5-2 game that took a full effort to win. That isn't a back-to-back, but heading home after this one, legs can go in the 3rd period.
Anaheim has holes of its own. Ryan Poehling went on long-term injured reserve this week, and A.J. Greer has been on IR since early November, so the forward depth behind the top group is thinner. Ian Moore might be an option on defense by the end of the week, and the Ducks would welcome him back. Puck drop is 7:00 PM PT. Whether the Islanders' defense can hold up against Gauthier and the Ducks' scoring is the story of the night.
