(Sports Network) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to complete a three-game homestand with a win when they host the Phoenix Coyotes tonight in a Pacific Division battle at the Honda Center.
The Ducks have just one win in five games (1-3-1) this year, but the club has shown signs of improvement lately after getting outscored 13-2 in a season- opening three-game road trip. Anaheim has earned a point in the first two tests of the current residency, going 1-0-1 with a win over Vancouver and a shootout loss against Atlanta.
Anaheim was dealt a 5-4 setback by the Thrashers on Friday night as Nigel Dawes scored the lone goal of the shootout and Anthony Stewart notched the first hat trick of his career. The Ducks led the game 4-2 early in the third period, but Stewart notched his second and third goals of the night to force overtime.
Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry each had a goal and two assists for the Ducks. Ryan Getzlaf added a goal and an assist, and Jonas Hiller, who was beat on Dawes' game-ending wrist shot, made 29 stops in defeat.
"We just need to keep pushing. We have a big game coming up on Sunday and we know it," Getzlaf said. "Any time you lose in your own building, it's disappointing, especially when you have the lead going into the third. We worked pretty hard all game long. We needed to close it out of the end and we didn't."
Friday's loss did mark the season debut of Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman, who had missed all of training camp and the first four games of the season with double vision.
Following tonight's test the Ducks will head out on a four-game road trip. The swing will begin Wednesday evening in Columbus and Anaheim won't play at the Honda Center again until October 29 against New Jersey.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, have lost two in a row, but they did receive a point in Saturday's loss to the Detroit Red Wings -- Phoenix's playoff nemesis from last spring. Niklas Kronwall scored with 18 seconds left in overtime to lift the Red Wings to the 2-1 road win at Jobing.com Arena.
Skating 4-on-3 in the overtime session, Henrik Zetterberg sent a hard pass from the low left circle to the slot, where Kronwall one-timed it through a screen and into the left corner of the net for the win. Kronwall's game- winning tally was the lone goal on eight power-play opportunities for Detroit.
Martin Hanzal lit the lamp and Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 31 shots in the loss for the Coyotes, who were playing their first game since splitting a pair of contests with Boston in Prague, Czech Republic last weekend to start the season.
"When you give up as many power plays as we did you're tempting fate too hard," said Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett. "Especially when you're playing a team like Detroit that has a great power play."
Detroit eliminated Phoenix in seven games in the opening round of last year's playoffs. It was the first time the Coyotes were in the postseason since 2002.
The Coyotes notched four wins in six meetings with the Ducks last year, but only one of those victories came in Anaheim. Phoenix has won five of seven overall in the series, but the Ducks have taken four of the last five encounters on their home ice.