Every game is must-win for Anaheim at this point in the season, as the Ducks try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.The Ducks had a two-game winning streak snapped in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Anaheim received three-point performances from linemates Rickard Rakell (three assists) and Jakob Silfverberg (two goals, one assist) in the game."Silvy had the hot stick tonight and I just tried to find him," Rakell said. "We were lucky we connected a few times. That just gives us confidence going forward, and it's just something we can build on." Christian Djoos equalized for Anaheim at 18:18 of the third period, although salvaging just one point from an overtime loss is small consolation given the Ducks' tenuous place in the standings.With only 13 games remaining, the Ducks (28-32-9, 65 points) could be as many as 13 points out of a Western Conference wild-card position by the time the puck drops in Anaheim.Ten of those final 13 games are against Western Conference teams, so the Ducks will get a chance to directly gain ground on some of the many rivals ahead of them in the wild-card race. The Ducks also face three of the four teams behind them in the overall NHL standings, including the Senators (25-32-12, 62 points).Ottawa has the second-fewest away points (20) of any team in the NHL this season, but the Senators began a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Chris Tierney scored the winner 35 seconds into overtime, while goalie Craig Anderson stopped 31 of 32 shots."From start to finish, we played the way we wanted to ... Generated quite a bit of offensive zone time tonight, which I thought was us being poised with the puck, and that's a big step in the right direction for us," Anderson said.The Senators are 4-1-0 over their last five games, and a victory on Tuesday would give them their second three-game win streak of the season.Ottawa also plays Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, so Anderson and Marcus Hogberg are likely to split starting duties over the back-to-back games.Tuesday is also the first game of a back-to-back set for the Ducks, who host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. Ryan Miller will surely start at least one of the two games, though John Gibson is questionable to play after suffering a groin injury during Friday's 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.Anaheim called up Anthony Stolarz from their American Hockey League affiliate in San Diego to serve as Miller's backup on Sunday, and Stolarz will likely start against either Ottawa or St. Louis if Gibson is still unavailable. Stolarz hasn't played in an NHL game since last season, with his previous appearance coming on April 4, 2019 as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.The Ducks won the first of their two meetings with the Senators this season, a 3-2 shootout victory in Ottawa on Feb. 4.--Field Level Media
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