The Anaheim Ducks are looking to tie their playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 at Honda Center, according to a May 10 announcement. The game is scheduled for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
This matchup follows a 6-2 loss for Anaheim on Friday, which the team hopes to move past quickly. Alex Killorn said, “It wasn’t a great start. They score in the first five minutes and then they get a PK goal and then that goal on the power play with five seconds left. It’s tough to win a game when you put yourself in spots like that.”
Head coach Joel Quenneville said his team needs to learn from their previous performance as they prepare for another challenging contest. “There’s a lesson to take out of today’s game, and it’s only going to get harder every single game,” Quenneville said. “Let’s get ready to go to war.”
Quenneville confirmed that Drew Helleson is out due to an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day, while Radko Gudas described himself as a game-time decision because of a lower-body issue.
On the opposing side, Vegas head coach John Tortorella announced that captain Mark Stone will miss tonight’s game after leaving Game 3 due to injury; Brandon Saad will take his place in the lineup.
Anaheim expects Lukas Dostal back as starting goaltender and Mason McTavish returning up front. McTavish said he feels prepared: “He’s been so good all year,” McTavish said about Dostal. “Obviously, we know the kind of goalie he is. We have so much confidence in him. He’s bailed us out so many times and always comes back stronger so I’m excited to see his game today.”
Looking ahead, players say matching Vegas’ energy early will be important, especially by being more aggressive during power plays—an area where Vegas has excelled this postseason by killing off 21 consecutive penalties across six games since facing Utah in Round One.
McTavish added: “I think we just gotta look to shoot more, especially maybe from the top, too, get some one-timers and some better screens… But I think the biggest thing is getting those second chances… just stay in that pressure and tire (Vegas) out—that’s when power plays really open up and you can score more.”
