ANAHEIM, Calif. — Already tumbling through the longest losing streak of a season to forget, the Ducks faced down the team that had beaten them most handily during this slump, the Edmonton Oilers, and lost again, 3-1, a score that accurately reflected a far more competitive game than their 6-0 loss at Edmonton’s hands just four days earlier.
While the Ducks have had competition aboard the fail boat – Arizona has also lost eight straight and Chicago has kicked its losing ways into high gear by posting the worst record since the trade deadline – there’s little doubt about who the hottest team in the NHL has been since the swaps stopped. Edmonton has gone 15-2-1 since March 1, the Oilers debut of newly acquired defenseman Mattias Ekholm, posting a points percentage of .861. That mark is 83 percentage points higher than any other team in the league. Meanwhile, the Ducks have four games remaining, which could put them past their franchise-worst streak of 11 winless games last season.
Winger Troy Terry – who had missed the team’s four-game trip with his wife expecting the couple’s first child – scored for the Ducks. He is tied with Trevor Zegras for the team lead in goals at 22, but he won’t travel to Arizona for their next game. Lukas Dostal made 30 saves.
