Beckett Sennecke scored three goals as the Anaheim Ducks routed the San Jose Sharks 6-2 in NHL preseason play Sunday at Honda Center, one of two games on a light Sunday slate that also saw the New Jersey Devils edge the New York Islanders. The Edmonton Oilers were not in action Sunday and have no game Monday; they are next on the ice Tuesday at the Winnipeg Jets.
Sennecke completed his hat trick in the third period as part of a six-goal outburst that also featured Tristan Luneau (one goal, two assists), Jackson LaCombe (one goal, one assist) and Leo Carlsson (one goal, one assist), according to NHL.com’s recap of the game. Goaltender Laurent Brossoit made 21 saves for Anaheim, while San Jose split the game between Eric Comrie and Matthew Davis in net. The result followed New Jersey’s 2-1 win over the Islanders on Saturday, in which Connor Brown scored the go-ahead goal in the third period.
Anaheim 6, San Jose 2
Away from the ice, the NHL’s early injury list is starting to take shape as training camps wind down. Colorado Avalanche captain Cale Makar is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss the club’s first couple of preseason games, head coach Jared Bednar said, though Bednar added Makar is “participating in drills, wearing a non-contact jersey” and could join special-teams work by midweek, according to a DobberHockey injury report published Sunday.
Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered during off-ice training; general manager Shawn Horcoff had hoped for a Saturday return but no timetable had been confirmed as of Sunday night, per the same report. New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal is dealing with a re-aggravated knee injury and inflammation and is expected to miss at least two weeks, with a tentative target of being ready for the Islanders’ Sept. 30 season opener.
Anaheim winger Troy Terry, still recovering from hip surgery, remains on a month-to-month timeline targeting a mid-November return, while Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is out indefinitely after failing a physical at training camp. “We’re not going to see him here in the near future,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said.
The preseason schedule expands significantly Monday night with eight games across the league, including Colorado at Winnipeg and Minnesota at Chicago, none of which involve the Oilers. Edmonton’s preseason slate continues Tuesday at Winnipeg, followed by road and home dates against Vancouver on Thursday and Calgary on Saturday, before the Oilers open the regular season Sept. 29 at home against the Canucks.
Photo: LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR, Unsplash
