ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Ducks hosted the Sharks at Honda Center on April 9, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. PT in the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the Pacific Division rivals. The game aired on KCOP-13 and Victory+.
Anaheim entered at 41-32-5 with 87 points, third in the Pacific and one point behind Vegas for second while three points back of Edmonton for first. The Ducks were trying to stop a slide after a 5-0 loss to the Predators on Tuesday and get their first win since late March. San Jose arrived at 37-33-7 after a 5-2 loss to Edmonton on the second night of a back-to-back, sitting fifth in the division and three points behind the Predators for the final Western Conference wild card spot.
That urgency showed up in the words coming from both sides. Alex Killorn said it was not the ideal time to keep losing, adding that the Ducks had put themselves in a good position and were now giving some of it back, though there were still enough games left to recover the points. He also said Anaheim had to embrace the pressure that comes when the standings start to tighten late in the season. On the Sharks side, Ryan Warsofsky said his team needed to play simple, direct hockey in the offensive zone and admitted San Jose has not done that consistently enough. Joel Quenneville, speaking after Anaheim’s earlier loss, said the Ducks did not generate offense and never built momentum, which stalled them.
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The back-end stakes were also reflected in Anaheim’s practice the day before the game. Radko Gudas returned to the ice in a non-contact jersey after a lower-body injury, while Cutter Gauthier remained out. For the Ducks, the night was about keeping pace in the Pacific. For the Sharks, it was about staying alive in the wild-card race while Macklin Celebrini’s 108-point season kept their long-term outlook bright even as the present remained difficult.
With only one meeting left between the teams and the standings this tight, the game at Honda Center was less about April 9 than what each club could still make of the final stretch.
