Ducks evening news: Week 15 recap before the storm rolls in

It's frosty out there, but the Anaheim Ducks brought the heat this week and kept the winning streak alive. After defeating the Seattle Kraken, the Ducks increased their winning streak to six games and now sit in third place in the Pacific Division, with a record of 27-21-3 and a .559 points percentage.

The sudden surge up the standings, is a far cry from where the Ducks were, just a couple weeks ago. The fact that the Ducks have been this good, despite missing their three best forwards (Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry, and Mason McTavish), speaks not only to the resilience of the team, but a team wide commitment to playing better in the defensive zone.

As an added bonus, Jackson LaCombe was named to the Team USA roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics. You may have heard some arguments about his nomination, this past week. Never mind the haters; on to this week's three stars.

Three stars of the week

Third star: Jeffrey Viel

We loved to be proved wrong here at Pucksofafeather, and the move by GM Pat Verbeek to trade for the much-maligned Viel, was viewed as inconsequential, at best. However, Viel made the most of his opportunity, by not only contributing with his fists, but on the scoreboard as well. Viel had three points for the week (two goals, one assist) and made a case to stay in the lineup.

Second star: Cutter Gauthier

Despite being bumped down to the third line (probably to spread the offense around), Gauthier flourished, with other key skaters out of the lineup. Gauthier led all Ducks skaters in scoring for the week with five points (three goals, two assists) and also led all Ducks skaters at a 1.67 points per game rate.

First star: Lukas Dostal

Dostal had a stellar week in goal, going 3-0, while posting a .929 save percentage and 1.95 goals against average. He had his best performance against the Central Division buzzsaw, known as the Colorado Avalanche, by making 40 saves in the win for the Ducks. Dostal might be back.

Biggest Concern

The injuries. Leo Carlsson will still be out for the foreseeable future, putting his Winter Olympics participation at risk. Troy Terry is still on the injured reserve list. Mason McTavish is listed as day-to-day. That is a combined 116 points of offensive production missing from the Ducks not lineup, not including Frank Vatrano. Petr Mrazek is still on the IR as well, but Ville Husso has proven himself capable as a backup. With only a couple of true scoring threats (Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke) remaining, the Ducks have been fortunate, at best, of banking points in the standings. Hopefully, the bottom does not fall out, before the missing skaters return.

What's next?

The injury riddled Ducks continue their road trip against more Pacific Division opponents with back-to-back games against the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. The Ducks then close out the week, in a game against the sinking Vancouver Canucks. That's six very crucial division points on the line, which could influence Verbeek's strategy heading into the Olympic break.

What's next? Continued

On a more personal note, this winter storm is approaching our home out here on the East Coast. If you have read any of my articles, at any point this season, I thank you. Please keep all of us out here in your prayers, as many other FanSided experts reside in this region. Stay warm and stay safe wherever you are.