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The Ducks have beaten the Oilers in seven of their last eight meetings.
(Sports Network) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to bounce back from a lopsided road loss when they host the Edmonton Oilers tonight at the Honda Center. The Ducks had won three straight heading into Saturday's game against Pacific Division rival Phoenix, but the Coyotes routed Anaheim by a 6-2 score at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes used the win to extend their lead over Anaheim for second place in the division to three points (55-52). Phoenix trails Dallas by four points for the Pacific lead.
Corey Perry finished with a goal and an assist in Saturday's loss. Matt Beleskey potted Anaheim's other goal and Jonas Hiller surrendered four goals on 26 shots. Curtis McElhinney came into the third period for Anaheim and made six saves on eight shots. "We allowed them to dictate the pace of the game," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said.
Saturday's loss was another example of the disparity between Anaheim's play on the road and at home. The Ducks fell to 8-12-3 as the guest with the loss in Phoenix, but Anaheim is 16-7-1 on home ice this year. The Ducks have won three in a row and seven of their last eight at the Honda Center.
The Oilers and Ducks have split a pair of meetings this year, as Edmonton notched a 4-2 win at the Honda Center on Nov. 21 and Anaheim recorded a road shootout victory over the Oilers on Dec. 7. Anaheim has taken seven of nine overall from the Oilers, but Edmonton has posted victories in five of its last seven trips to Orange County.
The Oilers, who are last in the West with 35 points, lost for the third time in four games on Saturday as they dropped a road test in Los Angeles. Jarret Stoll scored twice to help the Kings post the 5-2 win at Staples Center. Andrew Cogliano and Dustin Penner scored for the Oilers, while Devan Dubnyk allowed four goals on 22 shots in the loss.
"We got to find a way to execute and make sure we're getting momentum for our power play if we're not scoring," Oilers forward Sam Gagner said. "Right now that's not the case and they got a couple chances short-handed. It's obviously not good enough and we need to find a way to rectify it." The Oilers, who are closing out a five-game road trip tonight, are 7-11-4 away from Edmonton this season. Edmonton forward Gilbert Brule has missed the last four games with a bruised abdomen and ankle injury and he will likely sit out a fifth straight contest tonight.
For more information on tonight's game, be sure to read Anaheim Calling.
Teemu Selanne Gets Career Points 1,300 & 1,301, Ducks Defeat Oilers, 3-2
Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Teemu Selanne scored two goals, the first being his 1,300th career point, and the Anaheim Ducks held on to beat the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, at Honda Center. Luca Sbisa also lit the lamp for the Ducks, while Curtis McElhinney made 23 saves. Anaheim has won four of its last five games.
Rookie Magnus Paajarvi and Sam Gagner scored 26 seconds apart late in the second period for Edmonton, which posted a 1-4-0 record on its road trip. Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 25 shots in defeat. "We thought tonight we did a good job of sustaining cycles and keeping the puck in their end. We made it difficult on them," Gagner said of his line.
While on a power play, Selanne positioned himself in the slot and redirected Lubomir Visnovsky's point shot past Khabibulin to give Anaheim a 3-0 lead at 17:32 of the middle stanza. Paajarvi put Edmonton on the board 46 seconds later, and an Anaheim turnover resulted in Gagner beating McElhinney with a one-timer at 18:44. The Oilers applied furious pressure down the stretch, forcing the Ducks to take a pair of penalties late in regulation. Khabibulin was pulled to create a brief 6-on-3 advantage during which the Oilers couldn't convert.
"We couldn't have found any better way to make it more interesting -- six-on- three, then the broken stick, so it was kind of like six-on-two and a half. We found a way to get it done," said Anaheim defenseman Andy Sutton. Sbisa put Anaheim on the board with a screened shot from the point 9:23 into the contest. Selanne buried a rebound to make it 2-0 with three minutes left in the first period.
McElhinney left the game momentarily in the second period to receive stitches for a neck laceration. Jonas Hiller turned away all three shots he faced in 2:53 of action...Anaheim has won seven of the last eight meetings.
For more information on tonight's game, be sure to read Anaheim Calling.
Jan 16 9:29p by Eric Stephen - 0 comments