ANAHEIM — The Ducks still faced a number of significant questions after they completed their six-game exhibition schedule by defeating the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on Saturday at Honda Center. With opening night now measured in days rather than weeks or months, some answers had emerged in recent days.

No, the roster was not finalized heading into Saturday’s exhibition.

Yes, defenseman Brendan Guhle appeared to have made the team.

No, center Sam Steel’s roster status wasn’t certain, mainly because of a lower-body injury.

Yes, Swedes Rickard Rakell, Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg might form a line.

No, longtime captain Ryan Getzlaf’s spot as the Ducks’ top center wasn’t secure.

Yes, Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson would form the top defense pair.

No, the coaching staff didn’t have any serious concerns about goalies John Gibson and Ryan Miller.

No question, it was difficult to gauge how well individuals or teams were playing during exhibitions, mostly because lineups were constantly in flux. Some lines and pairs changed from game to game and opposing lineups featured more prospects than actual NHL players at times.

What worked in September might not in October, or for the rest of the 82-game season.

What was most evident during the Ducks’ training camp and exhibition games was a commitment to a faster and more free-flowing game. Coach Dallas Eakins allowed his players the freedom to experiment with the puck on their sticks, abandoning their predictable and rigid offense.

“He’ll give you that little bit of leeway there to make plays and just go out there and play,” Ducks center Adam Henrique said. “It’s certainly coming along. I think everybody is feeling better and better every single day and certainly improving toward the right direction.”

Unlike his predecessor, Randy Carlyle, Eakins encouraged the Ducks to play to their creative strengths. The old dump-and-chase style was replaced by a higher-paced game that was sure to please so many Ducks fans who had clamored for an offensive update during Carlyle’s second stint as coach.

The players seemed energized by the changes, too.

Guhle showed an affinity for long passes from the defensive zone to his streaking teammates at center ice, for one example. Rakell made a number of high risk/high reward passes that might have gotten him benched for an extended period under the previous regime, for another.

Henrique, entering his second full season with the Ducks and his 10th overall in the NHL, also credited Eakins with instilling a more upbeat atmosphere in the dressing room, on the bench and on the ice. Carlyle could be dour taskmaster even in the best of times.

“He teaches, but likes to keep things fun and wants to know what’s going on in the group,” Henrique said of Eakins. “He wants our feedback on everything he’s teaching and putting into place. As much as he wants us to run things a certain way, he wants our feedback on everything. He wants to know how we feel or what we see on the ice and I think that’s big for us going forward.”

The influx of younger players like Guhle, Lundestrom and Steel also has made a difference. Their energy has been infectious throughout the dressing room and, perhaps more important, also made lineup decisions difficult as the regular season approached.

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NHL postpones playoff games for Thursday and Friday “As young guys you should want to play in every exhibition game,” Henrique said. “You want to be seen and you want to be noticed, trying to make those decisions tough on the guys upstairs. Sometimes, for other reasons, to get down to that limit certain moves have to be made.

“But as a young guy you want to come in and leave an impression where you can be here and be an everyday player. It’s fun to watch those guys. It’s fun to play with them. They’re great around the room. Now you wait and see (who makes the team).”

DUCKS WIN, GIBSON HURT

Gibson made 19 saves before he yielded to Miller to start the third period because of what Eakins later called a mid-body injury. Miller then made seven saves as the Ducks rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Coyotes, competing the exhibition schedule with a 4-1-1 record.

“The thing on ‘Gibby’ after the third period seemed more precautionary,” Eakins said. “It’s an exhibition game. I don’t foresee that being anything, but those guys (Gibson and the team’s medical staff) are all back there (in the dressing room) in a meeting.”

Silfverberg scored the tying goal at 13:14 of the second period, converting his own rebound, and Lindholm delivered the tiebreaking strike while the Ducks were on a power play at 5:23 of the third. The Ducks outshot the Coyotes by 37-27.