Canucks at Ducks
Anaheim’s 5-1-1 start seems like a distant memory after the Ducks winless streak reached three games with a 4-3 overtime loss Sunday to Colorado, dropping them to 3-8-4 since their red-hot start. November has not been kind to Vancouver either as the Canucks will look to halt their six-game winless streak (0-5-1) when they begin a three-game California road trip in Anaheim on Wednesday night.
Defenseman Brandon Montour on Sunday had three points for the first time in his 129 NHL games for the injury-riddled Ducks, who started four rookies on defense against the Avalanche and had starting goalie John Gibson unable to play because of the flu. “We’re going to have to rely on more people to elevate and play more minutes than they’ve been accustomed,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle told reporters. “That’s an example of Monty (Montour) getting his feet under him and making contributions on both the defensive and offensive side.” The Canucks moved to 2-5-2 in November after they were outshot 49-25 during Monday’s 6-3 loss to Winnipeg. Twenty-year-old phenom Elias Pettersson looks like he's trying to run away with the Calder Trophy as he notched his 12th goal of the season in the first period against the Jets and leads NHL rookies by a wide margin in goals and points (19).
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-11-2): Vancouver is giving up 4.5 goals per game this month behind an ugly .883 save percentage from goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who did all he could in stopping 43 shots against the Jets. “Until the end of the third, it’s a tight game,” Markstrom told the media. “But that doesn’t help us much right now with the position we’re in. We’re in the position where we need points.” The Canucks' schedule has been the NHL’s most difficult, having already endured two six-game road trips while playing 14 games away from home - two more than any other team.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (8-9-5): Ryan Miller (2-2-1) got the start for Gibson and was 1.6 seconds away from taking the game to a shootout against the Avalanche, before Mikko Rantanen’s power-play slap shot went over Miller’s blocker for the OT winner. Captain Ryan Getzlaf contributed his fifth multi-point game of the season as his 14 points are good for the team lead but has him sitting in a tie for 98th league-wide. Anaheim ranks second-last in the NHL in scoring 2.09 goals per game and have only eclipsed three goals in a game twice this season.
OVERTIME
1. Gibson (6-7-4) has recovered from the flu and is set to return between the pipes for Anaheim on Wednesday.
2. Pettersson became the first player since Alex Ovechkin in 2005 to score 12 goals in his first 17 NHL games.
3. Canucks C Tyler Motte appeared in his 100th NHL game Monday and celebrated by scoring his first career short-handed goal.