Anaheim Ducks Hope to Beat Exhaustion During Their Third Game in Three Days

The Anaheim Ducks faceoff against the Los Angeles Kings for their third game in three days. How do they combat the major burn out that could cause potential regression?

The Anaheim Ducks looked sharp last night against the San Jose Sharks. The team, together, overcame some major obstacles that have kept them from their full potential. Of course, it’s still preseason and there is no telling if this is just a stroke of luck or if the team has actually found a solution to their glaring issues. However, tonight proves to be a different sort of challenge, as the Ducks play their third game in three night. Will they combat the exhaustion that could be waiting for them out on the ice or will the burn out prove to be too much?

The Los Angeles Kings haven’t played since they last saw the Anaheim Ducks on Monday on their home turf. This has allowed them a full day’s rest, whereas, the Ducks have been hard at work, having only one day off in the midst of a four-game stretch. A win last night could give the Ducks the motivation they need to pull through, but if they aren’t careful, they could fall back into bad habits.

How Do the Anaheim Ducks Work Through Their Exhaustion?

The Anaheim Ducks are already making the wise decision of putting Ryan Miller in net tonight, as one would expect to see in a back to back. After his first full 60 minutes back in net, letting in only one goal I might add, John Gibson needs to rest for their final exhibition on Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. Miller has been given a day to rest, so he should be spry and rearing to go tonight against Los Angeles.

There is more good news. Since making their first round of roster cuts, the Anaheim Ducks have been slow to shave their roster down. While some might think this is the organization suffering from a case of indecisiveness, it has actually turned out to be a rather smart move. The more players they have, the most they’ve been able to experiment with different line combinations throughout the preseason. Thus, they were able to sit a majority of their veterans for last nights game. While they were still put to work last night, all throughout Honda Center, they’ve had a day to recoup and come back strong against their cross-state rivals.

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Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Ondrej Kase, Troy Terry, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson are among the players who will be leading the charge tonight. It would be no surprise to see players like Rickard Rakell, Isac Lundestrom, and Jakob Silfverberg back in the lineup, especially after last nights performance.

Splitting the minutes as equally throughout the lineup as possible will definetly be another step in combating burn out. Nevertheless, they have a little bit of leeway should the players who have seen three games in a row grow tired or start making mistakes that could be associated with exhaustion.

Another key factor in combating major burn out is going to be accountability. Accountability was missing from the Anaheim Ducks game last season, and it hurt them in the long run. The team needs to keep one another accountable, making sure they’re taking care of their own needs so that they can be all be effective as a team.

Dallas Eakins needs to communicate with his team, and his team shouldn’t be afraid to communicate with him should they need a little time to catch their breath. Again, while this is just a preseason game, there is a lot of pride riding on tonight’s game. No one would necessarily blame the Ducks should they fail to meet expectations during their third game in three days. Nevertheless, this is a game they don’t want to lose, not just for their fans, but for themselves.

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