Ducks’ wait for John Carlson continues as homestand finally ends

ANAHEIM –– The Ducks will close their nine-game stretch at home but won’t open the John Carlson era against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

It’s the longest homestand in the NHL this season in terms of games played and time elapsed, having extended across the Olympic break to encompass 36 days.

Carlson’s new beginning was an even longer time coming. His 17 years as a Washington Capital came to an end after midnight Eastern Time on Friday, sending him westward.

He arrived late Friday and practiced Saturday, though a lower-body injury that has kept him out of action since Feb. 5 will delay his debut. The Ducks have a four-game Canadian swing that’ll kick off Tuesday.

Carlson also missed the excitement Friday, when the Ducks surmounted deficits of 2-1 and 5-4, scoring in the final minute before withstanding a barrage – and a four-on-three power play – in overtime to edge past the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout. The two clubs are tied atop the comeback wins leaderboard, and veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba was asked the secret to the Ducks’ belief when trailing.

“Being young and dumb,” Trouba said with a smirk. “I don’t know. Honestly, it’s a good thing to have. I’ve been on teams in the past where you get down a couple and everyone just kind of sulks and it’s, ‘Oh no, how can we get out of this?’”

“In here, it’s ‘Just keep playing. We’re gonna get an opportunity’ and we feel we’re good enough to score those goals. I think we have the guys to do it. So I think it’s just a belief and a confidence that we have in our group.”

The Ducks will likely see the return of forward Mikael Granlund against St. Louis. He hasn’t played since the pause after sustaining an injury from a hit by Slovakia’s Patrik Koch in the Olympic bronze-medal game, which Granlund and the Finns won.

While the anticipation for Carlson was heavy in Anaheim, their opponents Sunday were sellers Friday, as the Blues dealt captain Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders and shipped veteran defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings. They had already traded Nick Bjugstad earlier in the season.

As the first-place Ducks eye their first playoff berth since 2018 and first division title since 2017, the last time they led the division this late in the season, the Blues are turning their attention to the draft already. They’ll have three first-round picks for the second time in four years, having made three selections on Day 1 in 2023.

St. Louis at Ducks

When: 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Honda Center

TV/radio: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)