Ducks set to host Maple Leafs
Anaheim has won its last four games at home.
Wednesday, January 9th (All times eastern)
Toronto Maple Leafs (16-18-8) at Anaheim Ducks (22-17-6), 10 p.m.
If the Ducks are going to make a move in the Pacific Division, the time may just be now. Anaheim gets one final tune-up tonight before a pair of games against the co-division leaders, as it hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Honda Center.
The Ducks began a four-game homestand with a 5-2 victory against Nashville, and are two points back of San Jose and Dallas in the Pacific Division standings. Following tonights tilt, Anaheim will host the Sharks on Sunday and the Stars on Tuesday.
Five different Ducks lit the lamp on Monday, with Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz and Corey Perry each posting a goal and an assist. For Getzlaf, he extended his point streak to eight games, totaling four goals and six assists during that run, and leads Anaheim with 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists).
Travis Moen and Chris Pronger also scored, while Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 20 stops as Anaheim won for the third time in four games.
Anaheim has won its last four games at home and is 13-6-4 at the Honda Center this year.
Toronto plays the first of three straight on the road and will try to rebound from Saturday’s 3-2 home loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Penalties cost Toronto over the weekend, as Ian White’s interference call gave the Flyers a power play, and Philadelphia’s Mike Richards cashed in with the game-winning tally with 2:51 left in the third.
Then, with 1:55 to play, Pavel Kubina was called for high sticking to effectively kill any chance of Toronto making a comeback.
Mats Sundin scored both goals while Andrew Raycroft stopped 29 shots for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped five of their last six games. Sundin leads Toronto in goals (20), assists (28) and points (48), though due to the Maple Leafs’ poor play this year, trade rumors involving Sundin are beginning to heat up.
This now marks Sundin’s 17th straight 20-goal season.
Carlo Colaiacovo left the game in the first period with a knee injury and is out indefinitely. Also, Jason Blake suffered an eye injury after getting hit by the Flyers’ Steve Downie, but is probable for tonight. Blake has six points (3g, 3a) over his last three games.
Toronto, which is 8-10-3 as the visitor and has lost three straight and six of its last seven on the road, will also travel to Los Angeles and San Jose on this current swing.
The Maple Leafs have won four of their last five meetings with the Ducks, and the clubs haven’t met in Anaheim since November 12, 2003, a 5-1 Ducks victory.
Popularity: 6% [?]
