ANAHEIM – Winning another division title is again in play for the Ducks with just three weekends remaining in the regular season. And it does not matter to them.

Or does it? The Ducks pulled back within two points of first-place San Jose in the battle for the Pacific with their win Wednesday over Edmonton, but they’re not particularly concerned about where they ultimately finish.

Home ice would be nice. Beyond that, it’s about the how and not the where.

“I think right now we’re just worried about playing good hockey,” Ducks center Nate Thompson said. “Wherever we end up in the standings, it is what it is. The biggest thing is just playing well and making the playoffs and making sure our game is strong.”

Claiming the division for a fifth consecutive season is not a topic of conversation, they say. Been there, done that. They’ve painfully learned that it doesn’t lead them to a second Stanley Cup for the franchise.

“It doesn’t matter,” winger Corey Perry said. “It hasn’t mattered the last four years. Whatever happens, happens. There hasn’t been any talk in here. You could probably ask guys where we are right now and a lot of them would say we’re in a playoff spot. But it switches every single night.

“You just go out and you play. Let the chips fall where they fall.”

The Ducks are 6-1-1 in their last eight games and may have reached the kind of high-level consistent play that’s eluded them all season. Perry said it is a result of a roster that’s all “on the same page” and Thompson believes they’re operating as cohesive five-man units.

“You peak at the wrong time, you’re in trouble,” Perry said. “You want to start peaking at the right tie at the end of the year. Of course you want to play consistent and avoid big roller coasters all season long. You want to have a continuous straight line going up.

“But sometimes things happen and it goes down. At the same time, it’s a process. That’s all we’re looking at.”

Added Thompson: “We’re definitely getting more consistent efforts on a nightly basis. I still think there’s still room for improvement. I don’t think we’re satisfied.”

GIBSON PRACTICES

John Gibson took part in his first on-ice workout with the team since incurring more lower-body issues after his start in goal March 10 at St. Louis.

It is the only game Gibson has played since first developing an injury after relieving Jonathan Bernier in a Feb. 20 game at Arizona. Bernier has started every other contest since.

“To say how far he is away, that’ll be up to him after he has a consultation with our training staff and see how he felt,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “As long as he doesn’t have any setbacks, we’ll see where we go.”

While his presence is a positive sign, Gibson still needs to show that he can handle more taxing practices and face plenty of shots without experiencing pain or discomfort. Carlyle acknowledged that “this has taken a lot longer than anybody at first expected.”

But when asked about the importance of Gibson playing at some point before the regular season ends, Carlyle had a forceful response.

“That’s never been in question,” he said. “He’s going to play.”

OFF-BASE CALL

It would not factor in their win over the Oilers, but Carlyle was emphatic that Edmonton was offside on an eventual goal by Mark Letestu with 6.7 seconds left as the Oilers operated with a 6-on-3 power-play advantage with goalie Laurent Brossoit pulled for an extra attacker.

One replay shown to the Honda Center crowd showed Patrick Maroon standing in front of the Ducks’ blue line before he got a pass from Connor McDavid. Carlyle challenged the play but officials determined it not conclusive enough to overturn the on-ice goal call after a review.

“The problem that we’re dealing with is the league does not have every view that is pushed out of the building,” Carlyle said. “So they can’t possibly have every view. The views that the league had an opportunity to review were the ones that were on the system on the blue lines. And it cut off the player’s skates, as per view that they were provided. They could not see.

“Once it went up on the Jumbotron, which the whole building got to see, that it was definitely both feet were over the line before the puck had crossed and he was offside. But you can’t blame the league if they haven’t got the video to support their decision.”

KASE TO MINORS

The Ducks sent winger Ondrej Kase to San Diego (AHL) after keeping him out of the lineup as a healthy scratch for three of the past four games.

Kase, 21, has five goals and nine assists in 51 games with the Ducks. The rookie hadn’t scored a point since getting a goal and assist Feb. 22 against Boston and his ice time had plummeted after being dropped to the fourth line.

Contact the writer: estephens@scng.com