Ducks Notebook: Sharks flip game late, Gauthier injury update, McQueen joins AHL San Diego

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Anaheim Ducks got a taste of their own medicine on Wednesday in San Jose.

Macklin Celebrini’s 40th goal of the season tied the game with 1:39 to play, and the 104-point 19-year-old earned his fourth point of the night assisting on the game-winning goal 68 second later, as the Sharks vaulted over the Ducks late, 4-3, at SAP Center.

Celebrini has 10 points against Anaheim in three games this season. Ducks host the Sharks once more on April 9.

Ryan Poehling, Alex Killorn and Troy Terry scored for the shorthanded Ducks. Lukas Dostal made 17 saves. The Ducks outshot the Sharks, 31-21.

Anaheim still holds a two-point lead in the Pacific Division with seven games to play.

After holding an unbeaten mark when leading after two periods entering the week, the Ducks have lost back-to-back games when leading entering the third period. Anaheim is now 23-1-1 in those situations.

The Ducks allowed the game’s first goal for the seventh time in eight games and 16th time in 19 games since the Olympic break. Anaheim has trailed at some point in all 19 games coming out of the break with a 11-6-2 record in that stretch.

The Ducks gave up the opening goal for the league-leading 48th time this season.

Anaheim (41-29-5, 87 points) remains in first place in the Pacific Division but by just two points over Edmonton (38-28-9, 85 points). Third-place Vegas (33-26-16, 82 points) lingers just five points back.

Anaheim is even in games played with the Oilers and Knights.

The Ducks return to Orange County for the final five home games of the regular season starting with a back-to-back against St. Louis and Calgary on Friday and Saturday.

Injury Report: Gauthier, Gudas, Mintyukov all out day-to-day

Anaheim played without a single healthy scratch on Wednesday, as the Ducks were without three regulars in San Jose.

On top of everyone’s mind was leading goal scorer Cutter Gauthier, who left during the first period on Monday against Toronto. Gauthier scored his team-high 38th goal of the season and immediately left the game with an upper-body injury.

Gauthier did not travel to San Jose and was labelled day-to-day. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported yesterday that the Ducks were hopeful for a weekend return for the 22-year-old. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville was less optimistic.

“I’d say he’s questionable at best,” Quenneville told NHL.com’s Max Miller after Wednesday’s morning skate.

Ducks captain Radko Gudas did travel with the Ducks but did not participate in the morning skate in San Jose. He is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Gudas first suffered the injury last Thursday in Calgary and did not play in the next game on Saturday in Edmonton. Gudas returned on Monday to face the Toronto Maple Leafs and retribution for taking out Leafs captain Auston Matthews for the season on a kneeing incident back in Toronto.

Gudas was reportedly in a walking boot in Edmonton, but the 35-year-old said he wanted to play against Toronto to “address things himself” and not let retaliation fall on his teammates.

He took his licks on Monday and was out for Wednesday’s game.

Similarly to Gudas, Pavel Mintyukov suffered a lower-body injury in Calgary last Thursday, missed Saturday’s game in Edmonton and returned to the line-up on Monday against Toronto.

Despite participating in the morning skate, Mintyukov was also held out Wednesday night with his day-to-day injury.

Jansen Harkins underwent successful hand surgery on Monday and is out for four weeks. Ross Johnston remains week-to-week with a lower body injury.

First-rounder Roger McQueen joins AHL San Diego

After building up through his freshman season at Providence College, 2025 No. 10 overall pick Roger McQueen signed an AHL amateur tryout agreement to finish the season with the Ducks’s AHL club, the San Diego Gulls.

““It is exciting to welcome Roger to our organization to play professional hockey after a strong freshman season at Providence,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “Roger will gain valuable experience playing additional games in San Diego, which will be an important step in his development.”

McQueen was considered one of the top talents in last season’s draft, but after dealing with a back injury over his previous two junior seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, the 6-foot-6, 203-pound center fell right into Anaheim’s lap at 10th overall.

The 19-year-old went on to Providence College, where he steadily improved over a full season of NCAA hockey. McQueen was named the Hockey East conference’s rookie of the year with 11 goals and 16 assists in 36 games. He was second in assists for the Friars, third in goals and third in points.

San Diego has seven games remaining in the AHL regular season and currently sits in the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

In this new world of college eligibility with NIL deals and the like, it is unclear whether McQueen could return to Providence next season, if his AHL stint and offseason training don’t go to plan. The loosening of those NCAA eligibility rules is part of what allowed the former CHL junior player to move to American college hockey this season.

If McQueen does not or can not return to school, it is expected he will sign his entry-level deal before next season to play in the AHL.

Playoff Magic Numbers

At (41-29-5) 87 points, the Ducks’ magic number (combined number of points won by Anaheim and lost by the first team out of a playoff spot) to clinch its first playoff berth since 2018 is eight.

Los Angeles (30-26-18, 78 points) leapfrogged into the final wild card spot in the West. San Jose (35-31-7, 77 points), Nashville (34-31-9, 77 points), Winnipeg (32-30-12, 76) and Seattle (32-29-11, 75 points) are those first teams out.

If the Kings won their remaining games, they would get to 94 points. If the Sharks won their remaining slate, they would reach 95 points. If the Predators won their remaining games, they would get to 93 points. If the Jets won their remaining slate, they would reach 92 points. If the Kraken won their remaining games, they would get to 93 points. Nashville, Winnipeg, and Seattle currently have the regulation wins tiebreaker on Anaheim.

Anaheim’s magic number to clinch the Pacific Division title is 13, with Edmonton capable of hitting 99 points and holding the regulation wins tiebreaker.