Anaheim Ducks evening news: Week 17 recap before the Winter Olympics

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night and finished their short week with a 2-0 record. The Ducks have temporarily moved into third place in the Pacific Division with 63 points and just shy of capturing first place. However, the Utah Mammoth and the aforementioned Kraken are nipping at their heels, with 62 and 61 points, respectively. The Los Angeles Kings are not far behind either with 60 points, and significantly upgraded their roster, just before the trade freeze.

However, Ducks fans should be excited to see the team be in the thick of the playoff race. After a miserable nine-game losing streak, that nearly sunk their season, the Ducks have gone 8-2 in the last ten games. Even though they have not made a sizeable impact on the scoresheet yet, the return of Mason McTavish and Troy Terry, was a welcome sight. The Ducks 30 wins in 56 games, is the most the team has had at this junction in the season, since 2014-15.

Three stars of the week

Third star: Lukas Dostal

Dostal went 2-0 with a .915 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average. Even though his season numbers aren't flattering, .897 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average, Dostal has looked like himself again, as the Ducks have surged back up the standings. As the backbone for the team, a dialed-in Dostal will keep the Ducks in games. Plus, this mask design was a perfect blend of the Anaheim Ducks and The Offspring.

Second star: Jansen Harkins

Time to give the fourth line winger his flowers. Even though he only averaged 11:22 minutes of ice time, Harkins made the most of his opportunities, notching two assists. None was better, than his strip of Philipp Grubauer behind the net, to set up Ross Johnston for the easy tap in.

First star: Jacob Trouba

Skating on a line with upcoming USA Olympian Jackson LaCombe, Trouba had one of his better offensive weeks. Averaging 22:21 in ice time, Trouba trailed only LaCombe for defenseman usage and had three points (one goal and two assists). Trouba's rocket from the blue line, had to have made noted slap shot enthusiast, Ducks captain Radko Gudas, nod with approval.

Biggest concern

Can the Olympians stay healthy?

Leo Carlsson is on the injured reserve list and will sadly, miss the upcoming Winter Olympics. However, the Ducks still have the aforementioned LaCombe, Dostal, and Gudas, plus Mikael Granlund competing for the respective countries. Almost all of these Ducks skaters are crucial to the team's success. Dostal is the number one goalie, LaCombe is the number one defenseman, and Granlund has been centering the top line, with Carlsson out and McTavish just getting back in the lineup. While Gudas is still a solid defenseman and the captain, his results on the ice, are not as impactful as the other three skaters. But the loss of any more Ducks skaters, could potentially put their playoff chances in peril. Fingers crossed for a healthy tournament.

What's next?

The Ducks next game is at home against the Edmonton Oilers, on February 25th. That's three weeks without Ducks hockey, so tune into the Winter Olympics to scratch that itch and cheer on the Ducks competitors. If last year's Four Nations Tournament is any indication of what's to come, Olympic hockey will not disappoint.