IRVINE — Trevor Zegras wore Drew Doughty like a cheap suit for the better part of his 20:19 total ice time during the Ducks’ 4-1 loss to the Kings on Friday. Zegras then wore Adam Pelech like a wet blanket for the better part of 18:34 during the Ducks’ 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday.

It’s not like the 20-year-old Zegras has gone unnoticed around the NHL during his rookie season.

After all, he became an Internet sensation with a lacrosse-style goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 27 and a lacrosse-style assist to Sonny Milano against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 7. Plus, he is the Ducks’ second-leading scorer with 39 points, including a team-leading 26 assists.

Perhaps that’s why opposing teams have focused their defensive attention on him during recent games. If he were an ordinary, run-of-the-mill rookie center instead of a Calder Trophy contender as the league’s Rookie of the Year, then maybe he might be skating under the radar.

“I feel like my mindset about that has changed a little bit,” Zegras said. “I’ve had conversations with teammates and coaches about how to handle that stuff. Maybe more so recently than at the start of the season, but it’s something I’m working at. It’s something I’m not great at.

“It’s definitely something I’m looking to improve.”

Zegras said he has noticed opposing teams are paying closer attention to him, delivering an extra cross-check or slash or hook when the referees aren’t watching. Or even when they are. The dark arts are heightened at the NHL level, especially as playoff races begin to take shape.

“It’s something I’ve got to deal with,” Zegras said. “It’s something I’ve got to figure out how to overcome.”

Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said the extra shadowing was something that Zegras had earned with his standout play. It’s something all elite players go through, including teammates such as Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. It should be something that Zegras accepts as a badge of honor.

“I can’t remember a player in recent history with so many eyes on him so fast,” Eakins said. “So, I do think that’s a really big challenge for him personally because I know he has super-high expectations. At least somebody’s paying attention to him. If nobody cared, it would mean he was doing (very little).”

Getting past the frustration is the first step, according to Eakins.

“Early on, they weren’t looking for ‘Z’ that much, but now they are,” Eakins said, referring to Zegras by his nickname. “It’s almost like, ‘Why are you guys checking me so hard? Don’t do that.’ There’s a frustration that comes and it takes a while to get through. That’s the biggest part of it.

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“The thing they (young players) have to get over is someone being in their face and close by and the frustration of that. … This is different here (in the NHL). They might say, ‘I was matched up tough in college.’ Yeah, but it was college. Or, yeah, it was juniors. It’s not the best players in the world.”

DOSTAL HONORED

San Diego Gulls goaltender Lukas Dostal was named the AHL’s Player of the Week after stopping 54 of 56 shots during victories Friday and Saturday over the Henderson (Nevada) Silver Knights. He had 27 saves in his first career shutout in Saturday’s 4-0 victory in Las Vegas.

Dostal, 21, has an 11-8-0 record with a 2.51 goals-against average and a. 915 save percentage in 21 appearances this season with the Gulls, his second after a standout career playing in Finland and his native Czech Republic. He also is 1-1-0 in three games this season with the Ducks.

HENRIQUE UPDATE

Left wing Adam Henrique resumed practicing with the Ducks on Monday after a false positive test for COVID-19 sidelined him for Sunday’s game against the Islanders. He didn’t have any symptoms and he’s expected to be in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins.