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Anaheim has won five of its last six games.
(Sports Network) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to get a four-game road trip started on a positive note when they visit the lowly Ottawa Senators tonight at Scotiabank Place. The Ducks have won four of their last five games and are currently locked in a three-way tie with Chicago and Nashville for the fifth seed in the West. However, Anaheim has done most of its damage on home ice this season, as the Ducks have a 17-7-1 mark on home ice and an 8-12-3 road record. The Ducks will get a chance to improve on the road during this swing, which will also feature stops in Toronto, Montreal and Columbus.
The Senators, meanwhile, have not been good at home or on the road this season. Ottawa is last in the Northeast Division and has lost eight of its last nine games (1-6-2). The Sens have also lost four straight at home and are just 9-13-2 as the host this season. Anaheim recorded a victory in its most recent contest, downing the visiting Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, on Sunday. Teemu Selanne scored two goals, the first being his 1,300th career point, to lead the Ducks to the win at Honda Center. Luca Sbisa also lit the lamp for the Ducks, while Curtis McElhinney made 23 saves.
The Oilers made Anaheim work for the regulation win, however, as Edmonton applied furious pressure down the stretch and forced the Ducks to take a pair of penalties late in regulation. Oilers goaltender Nikolai 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.
Ottawa, meanwhile, has lost two straight and is coming off Sunday's setback in Washington. John Carlson tallied the go-ahead goal eight minutes in to the third period as the Capitals used a three-goal third period to defeat the Sens, 3-1, at Verizon Center. Mike Fisher scored the lone goal for the Senators. Brian Elliott gave up three goals on nine shots in the third period and ended with 23 saves.
"In so many of our losses we played well but we just can't score on our chances,' said Sens head coach Cory Clouston. "Our guys worked hard but we didn't score on those chances and that made every mistake we had that much worse." Ottawa defeated the Ducks in Anaheim last season, posting a 4-3 shootout decision in the only meeting between the clubs in 2009-10. Anaheim has still won three of four and four out of six in this series overall and has taken the last two encounters at Scotiabank Place.
For more information on this game, be sure to read Anaheim Calling.
Hiller Peppered, But Ducks Beat Senators In Shootout, 2-1
Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Bobby Ryan notched the winner in the shootout as Anaheim clipped Ottawa, 2-1, at Scotiabank Place. Ryan ended the second round by beating Brian Elliott with a quick forehander. Erik Karlsson then fired a wrister on Jonas Hiller, but he stopped the chance with his pad to end the game.
Corey Perry tallied in regulation for the Ducks, winners in six of their last eight games. Hiller ended with 39 saves. Mike Fisher provided offense for the Senators, who have lost three in a row and nine of 10. Elliott made 26 stops. Perry opened the scoring with 5 1/2 to play in the first period, when Perry's second-chance rebound of a Ryan point shot slid home. Fisher finally equalized for the Sens at 18:19 of the second when he followed up Milan Michalek's backhander in the slot and beat Hiller with a shot inside the left post.
The Ducks improved to 3-2 in shootouts this season and the Senators fell to 0-3...Perry has scored three times in his last four games, and has picked up five points in that span...It was the 27th time this season that Ottawa has scored two goals or less.
For more information on this game, be sure to read Anaheim Calling.
Jan 18 8:34p by Eric Stephen - 0 comments