GDT: Ducks @ Canucks; 01/27/2015

Ducks Hope to Extend Winning Streak Against Canucks


DUCKS (31-10-6) at CANUCKS (26-16-3)


TV: PRIME, SNP


The Latest: The NHL-leading Anaheim Ducks (31-10-6, 68 pts.) return from the All-Star break and begin a two-game road trip tonight against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena (7 p.m. PST, Prime Ticket/AM 830). The Ducks have won five straight games (5-0-0), tied for the longest active win streak in the NHL with Detroit and Winnipeg. This marks Anaheim's third winning streak of at least five games, including Dec. 1-13 (7-0-0) and Oct. 11-24 (7-0-0). The club, which has won seven of its last eight (7-1-0) and has points in 10 of the last 12 (9-2-1, 19 pts.), is also 17-4-1 in its last 22 games and 20-6-1 in its last 27. Anaheim is 22-0-5 when scoring first this season, the lone NHL team without a regulation loss in such situations.


With a power-play goal in five of the last six games, the club is also 6-for-17 (35.3%) on the power play and 16-for-18 in penalty kills (88.9%) since Jan. 7. Anaheim is in the midst of four consecutive games vs. Pacific Division opponents, which the club owns a 10-3-5 record against. The Ducks will conclude the road trip in San Jose on Thursday, Jan. 29 (7 p.m. PST).


Ducks-Canucks: Vancouver and Anaheim play the fourth game of a five-game season series tonight at Rogers Arena. The Ducks have earned standings points in nine straight games over the Canucks (8-0-1, 17 pts.) and are 10-1-2 in the last 13 games. Overall, Anaheim has posted a 39-35-16 record in 90 all-time games vs. Vancouver. The Ducks have won four straight games at Rogers Arena since Nov. 10, 2013, marking the club's longest win streak in Vancouver all-time. All three games this season have been decided in extra time, one in overtime (2-1 Ducks win on Dec. 28) and two in a shootout (2-1 Canucks win on Nov. 9 and 4-3 Ducks win on Nov. 20). Ryan Getzlaf leads active Ducks in all-time scoring vs. the Canucks, collecting 35 points (10g/25a) in 36 career games. Ryan Kesler is set to make his fourth appearance vs. his former team since joining the Ducks in a trade last summer. Kesler played 10 NHL seasons with the Canucks, scoring 393 points (182g/211a) in 655 career games from 2003-14. These two teams will conclude the season series on March 9 in Vancouver.


Ducks team scope: Getzlaf had a goal and an assist as alternate captain for Team Toews in the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday. He was the only Anaheim player to participate in All-Star Weekend. Getzlaf is on a four-game point streak (2g/3a) and has at least a point in seven of eight. Defenseman Clayton Stoner was back at practice Monday after he sat out a 6-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 21 because of a lower-body injury. The Ducks lead the NHL with 68 points after winning five straight games and eight of 10 heading into the All-Star break. Beginning with their visit to the Canucks, they will play seven of their next nine games on the road.


Canucks teams scope: Defenseman Kevin Bieksa is out indefinitely after he broke his hand in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 20. Bieksa was injured in Vancouver's third game with defenseman Dan Hamhuis back in the lineup after he missed two months because of a groin injury. "Now we're used to, I guess, having one of our D out, so it's not something that we haven't been used to and playing with," coach Willie Desjardins said Monday. "But we'll miss Kevin. He's been a big part of our team. He's always a guy when a game gets tough, he's always a guy that gets better. So we'll miss him, for sure. But, like any injury, somebody else has to step up and play well." The Canucks are counting on rookie Frank Corrado to be that somebody. Corrado, 21, who has played four games since being recalled from Utica of the American Hockey League earlier this month, scored the second goal of his career against Tampa Bay. He and Hamhuis will likely be a pair. Vancouver won three of four before the All-Star break and is in third place in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Calgary Flames. Forward Radim Vrbata, who represented the Canucks at the All-Star Game, had a goal and an assist for Team Foligno. His 18 goals lead Vancouver.

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