The Anaheim Ducks are rolling, even when they start slowly. As they prepare to host the Calgary Flames on Sunday, the Ducks would like to continue the first part of that statement, but would prefer to not require the second.

Heading into the clash, the Ducks are riding a four-game winning streak and have won 11 of 13 outings to jump into the second spot in the Pacific Division.

Anaheim is coming off a 5-4 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, in which it erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 before scoring a trio of third-period goals and then the extra-time winner.

“We just have that belief in ourselves that we’re never out of it,” forward Beckett Sennecke said. “That’s kind of the biggest thing in these comeback wins is we never think we’re out of it, and we know we can score goals.”

Anaheim has racked up 19 goals in the four-game streak, all victories in the first four affairs of a nine-game home stand that began prior to the Olympic break.

The Ducks also erased a multi-goal deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, the first outing following the break.

As much as the Ducks can take pride in having claimed a league-best nine wins after trailing by two or more goals, they are well aware that is not a long-term recipe for success. They have also surrendered the game’s first goal on the first shot in the past two games.

“We’ve got to get better starts because we can’t play every game down like that,” defenseman Jackson LaCombe said. “It’s just not going to work.”

The Flames arrive on the heels of a 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Although it was a one-goal game before the Kings tallied into an empty net in the final minute, that is small consolation for the Flames, who were blanked for the fifth time this season and have mustered only three victories in their last 10 games.

“We were fine, but when you’re in close games, you’ve got to find another level,” coach Ryan Huska said. “That’s, to me, what it looked like from the bench. You have a chance to grab a game when it’s close, and we weren’t able to do that. Whether that’s scoring a goal or making a better decision with the puck that led to their goal 5-on-5, those are the little things that I think were the difference.”

The clash with Los Angeles is the first time this season a game was played without any penalties called, but the shortage of power plays was not what the Flames were lamenting. It was the lack of opportunities generated.

“I don’t think we played our best game,” captain Mikael Backlund said. “At times we did, but too up and down throughout the game, a little too inconsistent. We had a little push at the end but not the way we want to play. We know we can play better.”

Moving forward, though, the Flames will look to rebound against the Ducks in the final outing of a three-game road swing through California, which opened with a victory over the San Jose Sharks.

“Hey, it’s one of the easier back-to-backs, I would say, in the league,” Huska said. “It’s a short, little bus ride. It’s not a late night for us at all, so the guys will be ready.”

–Field Level Media

After closing out February by putting an emphatic end to a three-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Lakers will leap into March with a visit from the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

The Lakers earned a 129-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday that was not diminished in the slightest, even as their opponent was without star Stephen Curry.

Luka Doncic scored 26 points with eight assists for Los Angeles on his 27th birthday, while LeBron James celebrated the occasion with 22 points and nine assists. Austin Reaves added 18 points as Rui Hachimura (illness) missed his second consecutive game.

The Lakers finally have Doncic, James and Reaves together on a consistent basis after all three have been hit by injuries at separate times this season. But on-court cohesion has not come easy with Los Angeles losing home games against the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, followed by a road loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

After shooting just 39.1% from the floor against the Celtics, the Lakers have improved on that number in each of the past three games leading to their 53.3% shooting against the Warriors. Doncic, James and Reaves combined to shoot 56.1% (23 of 41).

“Our back was against the wall after losing the way we have been losing lately,” James said on the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast. “We wanted to fix that and started on the defensive end. And then not turning the ball over on the offensive end, we had a really good rhythm.”

Los Angeles continues to sit sixth in the Western Conference and in possession of the final automatic berth in the playoffs.

The Kings are the worst team in the NBA at 14-47 but have been distancing themselves from their recent franchise-record 16-game losing streak with victories in two of their past three games.

Precious Achiuwa scored a career-high 29 points with 12 rebounds, Maxime Raynaud had 22 points and Daeqwon Plowden added 19 off the bench as Sacramento earned a 130-121 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

“We have a good team of playmakers understanding that they’re going to get to their spots,” said Plowden, who was in just his 18th NBA game over two seasons. “Now it’s just me finding windows where I can get out quick (3-pointers) or cuts to the basket or even in transition. It jells well with what we have going on.”

In the second game of a back-to-back, Sacramento was without Russell Westbrook (thigh) and Keegan Murray (ankle).

The Kings shot 50.5% from the floor while soaring past their conference-worst average of 110.4 points per game. They won even as the Mavericks shot 55.6% overall and 43.5% (10 of 23) from 3-point range.

Sacramento had a season-low five turnovers. They also forced the Mavericks into 18 turnovers that they turned into 21 points.

–Field Level Media

…

Australia’s Hannah Green held off Auston Kim on Sunday to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore for the second time.

Green, the 2024 champion, balanced three birdies and three bogeys on an eventful back nine to finish with a 3-under 69 and a final score of 14-under at Sentosa Golf Club. The 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner tapped in for bogey at the 18th for her seventh LPGA Tour title.

“When I did win Singapore two years ago, I went on to win two other tournaments that season and pretty much had my best season on tour,” said Green, 29. “So having a win so early in the season gives me a bit more flexibility with the tournaments that I can play. So I’m hoping that this puts me in good stead for the rest of the year.”

Green was at 16-under after birdies at the first, 11th and 13th holes and an eagle at the par-5 eighth hole. Her birdie at the par-3 15th helped her survive a bogey-bogey finish.

“I knew that I had enough of a lead to be able to get away with making mistakes coming down the stretch. But I think 15 was the real turning point,” she said.

First- and second-round leader Kim nearly chased down her first title, matching the low round of the day with a 67 to finish one shot behind Green in the 72-hole, no-cut tournament.

Kim carded six birdies and an eagle at No. 8, but a bogey at the par-3 15th proved costly for the 25-year-old American.

“Overall, I think it was a really solid week,” Kim said. “A great way to start the year. I hit a lot of bad shots but I also hit a lot of good ones, and it was really confidence boosting. I hit all these bad shots, and I didn’t feel like I had anything chose to my A game, but I was still able it pull off a result like this and play some really solid golf.”

Australia’s Minjee Lee (72 on Sunday), Angel Yin (71) and France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (68) tied for third place at 11-under with South Korea’s Haeran Ryu (72) another shot back in solo sixth.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand finished with a 73 and tied for 31st at 2-under, one shot behind defending champion Lydia Ko (72) of New Zealand.

–Field Level Media