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GDT: Ducks VS Blues; Game 59; 02-28-2014

Baltic Gal

Baltic Gal

Moderator
Ducks VS. Blues

Game 59

2/28/2014

In Anaheim,CA

@ 7:00PM Pacific Time

Preview:

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Ducks Back in Action, Chasing Season Sweep of Blues



BLUES (39-13-6) at DUCKS (41-14-5)


TV: FS-MW, PRIME


Last 10: St. Louis 6-3-1; Anaheim 5-5-0


Season series: Anaheim and St. Louis conclude a three-game season series Friday at Honda Center. The Ducks have won the first two games of the season set in St. Louis, including a 5-2 win on Dec. 7 and 3-2 victory on Jan. 18. The Ducks own a 35-32-10 all-time record vs. St. Louis (20-15-2 at home) and are led by Teemu Selanne’s 61 points (25g/26a) in 72 career games against the Blues. The Ducks have won a franchise-record six straight home games over the Blues dating to Jan. 7, 2010.


Big story: The league-leading Ducks (41-14-5, 87 points) are the last NHL team to resume play following the break and will remain at home for the next five consecutive games, tying a season high. Anaheim has gone 23-7-0 in its last 30 games, including a 12-5-0 mark at Honda Center and 11-2-0 road record. The Ducks are 15-1-2 vs. the Pacific Division and a league-best 24-8-2 (.735 points %) vs. the Western Conference. At 41-14-5 for 87 points, Anaheim is riding its best start to a season through 60 games, improving upon the previous mark of 35-16-9 for 79 points in 2006-07. It is also the deepest into a season that the Ducks have ever led the league in points (previously 48 games, 2006-07). In addition, the club has scored the most goals (194, second in NHL this season) and allowed the fewest (143) through 60 games in club history


Team Scope:


Ducks: Selanne's international farewell tour came to a storybook end when the Finnish Flash scored twice to help Finland win the bronze medal in Sochi. Now Selanne will turn his attention back to pursuing a second Stanley Cup championship.


"It was a great way to finish my national team career," said Selanne, who was named MVP of the Olympic tournament. "Now I'm back here, and it's also a good feeling. We have a great team here, and we have a mission. Hopefully the break will be good for our players. They can regroup and be ready for that last push. It's gonna be fun."


Those Ducks who didn't take part in the Olympics certainly had plenty of time to rest, with 19 days idle since a 5-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 8. Now the entire team is back at work with a clear goal in mind.


"We just need to keep working hard," forward Jakob Silfverberg said. "We were outworking the opposing teams every night, and that's what we need to do to be successful. If you work hard, all the other stuff falls into place. We're going to try to win every battle and take it one game at a time."


Blues: Despite a 1-0 loss in Vancouver on Wednesday, St. Louis still has two games in hand on Anaheim and three on the Chicago Blackhawks in the race for Western Conference supremacy.


Jaroslav Halak bounced back from a rough go at the 2014 Sochi Olympics for Slovakia to stop 34 shots against the Canucks. Still, the Blues are one of the teams rumored to be in the market for a goaltender, perhaps Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.


Meanwhile, coach Ken Hitchcock threw a wrinkle into his lines Wednesday, moving Patrik Berglund to left wing on a line with U.S. Olympians David Backes and T.J. Oshie.


"I didn't know before because I never played it," said Berglund, on the switch from center to wing. "But now I've been enjoying it. I like to forecheck and I think I'm pretty good at it, so now I can actually go whenever I want and be that guy. It puts me in spots where I like to be."


Who's hot: Ryan Getzlaf had four goals in five games for the Ducks prior to the break, giving him a career-high 29 to tie for fourth in the league. Corey Perry leads the NHL in game-winning goals, ranks third in goals, tied for third in even-strength goals (23) and tied for sixth in points. Perry, who scored his 250th career NHL goal and became the third NHL player to 30 goals this season on Feb. 8 at Nashville, enters Friday's game with five points (3g/2a) in his last eight games and 11 points (5g/6a)in his last 12. ... Halak's numbers for the Blues have been stellar over his past seven starts, as he's allowed two goals or less five times, including a shutout.


Injury report: Anaheim defenseman Mark Fistric (lower body) and forward Nick Bonino (upper body) are expected to be available. Goalie Viktor Fasth (lower body) is on a conditioning assignment with Norfolk of the American Hockey League. ... St. Louis defenseman Jordan Leopold (ankle) missed the game Wednesday, while forward Vladimir Sobotka (leg) is on injured reserve.
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