(Sports Network) - Neither Anaheim nor Columbus have won back-to-back games yet this season. For one of those teams, that fact will change tonight when the Blue Jackets host the Ducks at Nationwide Arena.
The Ducks began the season 0-3 and were outscored by a whopping 13-2 margin during that awful stretch. Since then, however, Anaheim has notched a point in three straight contests (2-0-1) and is coming off Sunday's home win over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Corey Perry netted the go-ahead goal with 5:37 remaining to lift Anaheim to a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes at the Honda Center. Bobby Ryan assisted on each goal while captain Ryan Getzlaf added a pair of helpers for the Ducks. Jonas Hiller made 36 saves to register the win.
Anaheim led 2-0 after 40 minutes, but allowed Phoenix to even the score in the third period before Perry came through with the game-winner.
"It got hairy there, but the bottom line is we won the hockey game. Wins have been at a premium for us so we'll take it," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said.
Rookie defenseman Cam Fowler scored his first career goal for the Ducks, but left the game with a broken nose. Fowler has accompanied the team at the start of its four-game road trip and the 18-year-old rookie may be able to play tonight.
The Blue Jackets are also coming off a win on Saturday as they clipped the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul. R.J. Umberger tallied the game-winner while his club was shorthanded midway through the third period to lift the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory at Xcel Energy Center.
Derek Dorsett and Derek MacKenzie also scored for the Blue Jackets, who recorded their first regulation win of the year. Mathieu Garon was strong in net, making 21 stops.
"We gotta be a team that will see a lot of bumps in the road. We're young, sometimes unsure what we're doing. If we lose, we have to go out and respond the next night," said Umberger. "That's what we did. We showed a lot of character in a gutsy road win."
The Blue Jackets lost their home opener to Chicago on Friday and will try to notch their first win of the season at Nationwide Arena tonight.
On the injury front, Columbus defensemen Mike Commodore (thumb) and Anton Stralman (shoulder) are questionable for tonight's contest. Commodore has missed the last two games, while Stralman injured himself in Friday's game against the Blackhawks.
Columbus won three out of four against the Ducks last year, but Anaheim has taken seven of 11 overall in the series. The Blue Jackets have also dropped seven out of nine on home ice to the Ducks.