Lightning at Ducks
The Tampa Bay Lightning can avenge one of their two regulation losses and complete a perfect California trip when they visit the injury-plagued Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. The Lightning boast points in five straight (4-0-1) after a 5-1 triumph at San Jose to open the trip and a 5-2 victory at Los Angeles on Thursday as the top line of captain Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov combined for 15 points in the wins.
“I can’t remember the last time we came in here and played this well against these two teams back to back,” Tampa Bay left wing Alex Killorn told reporters after posting a goal and an assist Thursday. “Everything is clicking.” Stamkos leads the league with 30 points and Kucherov owns an NHL-best 16 goals, but neither had a point and they combined for only four shots as Anaheim scored a 4-1 victory over the Lightning on Oct. 28. The Ducks won’t have the No. 1 star from that game this time around, though, with captain Ryan Getzlaf out another two months after suffering a facial fracture. John Gibson could return in net after missing the last game because of a concussion and backup Ryan Miller is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so No. 3 goalie Reto Berra is also a possibility to start against the highest scoring team in the league.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (13-2-2): Kucherov owns goals in three straight games and eight points in that span while Stamkos has six points (two goals) and Namestnikov (three goals) five points over the last three contests. Second-line center Brayden Point is just behind the top three in production with seven goals and 17 points while Norris Trophy finalist Victor Hedman has recorded multiple points in three of his last five outings. Andrei Vasilevskiy (12-1-1, .928 save percentage), who did not face Anaheim last month, will be back in net after being rested Thursday and is seeking to add to his 12-game point streak (11-0-1).
ABOUT THE DUCKS (7-6-3): Anaheim was 5-for-47 on the power play going into Thursday before converting 3-of-6 opportunities in a 4-1 victory over Vancouver to snap a four-game slide. “It’s been a long wait for our power play to awaken,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told reporters. “I think (Thursday) we were more determined to get pucks back on our entry. We moved the puck effectively and got the puck directed towards the net. And we were more tenacious.” Forward Rickard Rakell leads the team with 14 points and has recorded a goal and six assists during a four-game point streak.
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim C Antoine Vermette, who is among the league leaders in faceoffs won (201) is expected to play his 999th NHL game Sunday.
2. Tampa Bay RW Ryan Callahan (lower-body) missed Thursday’s game and is questionable for the finale of the trip.
3. The Lightning are 14-for-14 on the penalty kill over the last five games and the Ducks killed 11-of-12 in the past two.