Ducks return home after Fowler trade, solid win in Columbus – Orange County Register

The Ducks mustered three of eight possible points during a four-game road trip that saw the departure of fixture Cam Fowler via trade right before their sinewy win in Columbus, and now they’ll dive headlong into a daunting pair of home games.

First up will be the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, who entered Tuesday’s docket with the NHL’s best point total despite their four-game funk that unfolded as November faded into December. They’ll also take on the high-octane Colorado Avalanche on Friday at Honda Center.

Forward Ryan Strome called the parting with Fowler “emotional” as the club lost “one of our leaders” after nearly 15 years with the franchise. He said he was delighted that in the wake of the trade the team could pull out “a good, gutsy win” in a match it trailed twice.

“I liked three of our games this trip,” Strome told reporters in Columbus. “We just couldn’t find a way to get points. So, to find a way in the last one, a tough stop on the way home, kind of a tough game and a little bit of a trap game, I thought we played a good, hard game. We didn’t give up.”

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The two points halted a five-game winless skid, though that streak wasn’t the only thing that snapped on Saturday. When asked before the game about the slump and the team’s overall performance –– offensive-zone time has been a precious commodity for the Ducks but one they’ve often sold cheaply to opponents –– Verbeek responded, “I hope we end it tonight, how about that?”

Though the Ducks satisfied Verbeek’s desire behind two goals, including the overtime winner, from Alex Killorn, there was still work to be done. Even with the win, they remained in last place in the Pacific Division and were 12 points behind the last wild-card berth in the West on Tuesday morning.

The Ducks have four pending unrestricted free agents –– trade acquisitions Robby Fabbri and Brian Dumoulin as well as returners Frank Vatrano and Brock McGinn –– and two prominent restricted free agents in Mason McTavish and Lukáš Dostál.

After three straight trade deadlines as sellers, the Ducks’ locker room was enthused by the recent arrival of Jacob Trouba via trade. Fowler’s departure likely did little to dampen that as his situation was unique and he was taking promising young players out of the lineup, but what happens in the not-so-distant future could impact team morale more heavily.

“(The trade deadline) is so far down the road for me. The focus is on winning and trying to get ourselves back in a position to where we can fight for a playoff spot,” Verbeek said.

From down the road to in front of their noses, the Ducks will next contend with the Jets. Winnipeg won 15 of its first 16 games with Connor Hellebuyck providing his usual elite goaltending, Josh Morrissey spearheading their defensive efforts and three forwards scoring over a point-per-game.

One of those attackers, Nikolaj Ehlers, has been sidelined with a lower-body injury and will not play against the Ducks. The Jets recalled former first-rounder Brad Lambert in his stead on Tuesday after retroactively placing the Dane on injured reserve.