Anaheim hopes for a better result in game two of the trip after a hard-fought 2-1 overtime loss to Nashville on Tuesday. John Gibson made 39 saves in one of his best performances of the season and Troy Terry scored the tying goal with just over nine minutes to play in regulation, but Predators' captain Roman Josi gave the home side the extra standings point in OT after a Ducks defensive zone turnover.
"It's hard because of the circumstances we find ourselves [in] with the standings and all of that," Terry said postgame. "It makes it seem harder. At the end of the day, we came into a hard building to play in and played a really good road game.
"It's hard to not get frustrated. That starts with [me]. I've been feeling it, too, and I need to not let it show."
Terry, who has goals in three of his last four games, leads Anaheim in points (10-14=24), goals and assists. He's also tied for sixth among league leaders in even strength points (19).
Despite the club's early season struggles, Terry said their team game is inching closer to where they want it to be and results will follow with more consistency.
"I know the work ethic and the battle in this group," Terry said. "I think you see it in games. We get down a goal and there's no quit. We've got to keep taking positives and take that road game mentality we had Tuesday into Dallas."
The Ducks will face a Stars squad kicking off a five-game homestand and looking to protect their narrow advantage atop the Central Division.
Dallas earned a 4-1 win in St. Louis Monday night, with star forward Jason Robertson extending his scoring streak to a career-best 16 games, second-longest in Stars franchise history.
Robertson scored 15 goals in 14 November games, trailing only Patrik Laine for most goals in a calendar month over the last 25 years. The 23-year-old Arcadia, CA native has 50 goals in 2022, two shy of Auston Matthews for tops in the NHL.
