As the Ducks studied up for the Montreal Canadiens’ visit on Friday, there was plenty to celebrate about their young core of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke after Wednesday’s victory over the New York Islanders.
But not lost on anyone around the team was the return of Frank Vatrano.
Carlsson, Gauthier and Sennecke combined for seven points in Wednesday’s bounce-back 5-1 win on the heels of a loss by a commensurate score to the Colorado Avalanche. Vatrano returned to action for the first time since Dec. 27, scoring an empty-net goal and initiating a sequence that led directly to a marker by Ryan Poehling.
Vatrano not only missed more than two months of action with a broken shoulder, but he lost his older brother and former Fairfield University forward Salvatore, 43, to glioblastoma last month. Vatrano’s extended recovery came amid visiting his brother and then the surviving family, a tight-knit group that included four brothers: Frank, Gregory, Michael and “Sammy,” as Salvatore was known.
“It was tough seeing Frankie. He went through a really tough time. Knowing Frankie from before, we know what he’s all about, he’s a great teammate who’s been loved everywhere he goes by everybody he touches in this game. Everybody knows how close they were as a family, the brothers,” said Joel Quenneville, who also coached Vatrano with the Florida Panthers. “Everybody was happy for him throughout the night, we saw a lot of good things from him and he was smiling at the end of it.”
Gauthier, who tallied twice to stretch his hot streak to eight goals in seven games, was glad to welcome the veteran back and even more pleased that he made an impact on the game, skating on the third line with his pal Ryan Strome and Poehling.
“It was a freak accident, how he got injured. I’m super happy that he’s healthy and back, and he was able to recover,” Gauthier said. “I’m super happy with the way he handled himself, coming back in the lineup and playing a hard game.”
On Friday, when the noon trade deadline will dominate headlines, the Ducks could move into first place in the Pacific Division with a win of any kind and a Vegas Golden Knights loss in regulation or a regulation Ducks win and a Vegas loss of any kind. Vegas faces a daunting opponent, the Minnesota Wild.
The Habs have been no slouch either, keeping pace in a hypercompetitive Atlantic Division and remaining on track for their second straight playoff appearance.
While the Ducks now have three 50-plus-point scorers with Carlsson, Gauthier and Sennecke, Montreal boasts three players who have already crossed the 60-point threshold in captain Nick Suzuki, sniper Cole Caufield and electrifying defenseman Lane Hutson.
After facing Matthew Schaefer and the Isles, Sennecke will see more of his top competition for the Calder Trophy in Habs’ rookie Ivan Demidov. He trails Sennecke by three points for the rookie scoring lead.
Montreal at Ducks
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Honda Center
TV: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)
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