Ducks at Sharks
THE STORY: Bruce Boudreau is doing his best to look at the positives. Considering where the Anaheim Ducks sit in the standings, well ... the glass is far from half full. The Ducks limped into the Christmas break having lost 24 of their last 29 games to plummet to the bottom of the Pacific Division. While Boudreau hasn't been there for all of the setbacks, he's seen his fair share already - including a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday. "I hate to keep saying it, but I think we played pretty solid," Boudreau said. "The difference between winning and losing sometimes is just the attitude of believing you're going to win and believing you're going to lose." Boudreau is hoping the Ducks' attitude changes when they visit HP Pavilion to face the Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks on Monday. Anaheim has posted just a 2-10-5 mark away from home - including 13 straight without a victory. For its part, division-leading San Jose matched a season high with four straight wins to start its six-game homestand.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, KDOC, CSCA
ABOUT THE DUCKS (9-19-6): Veteran Teemu Selanne saw his point streak end at nine contests as the Ducks lost their fourth in a row. D Lubomir Visnovsky collected a goal and an assist in each of his last two games. The All-Star blue-liner is showing signs of reverting to form after missing 13 contests with a broken finger. LW Niklas Hagman seems to have found a home in Anaheim, notching four goals in his last five games. He struggled upon joining the team, scoring just one goal in 10 contests.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (19-10-3): San Jose was making strides with its struggling penalty kill, but saw its streak end at 10 after Los Angeles' Mike Richards scored in the second period. The Sharks are tied for the second-worst penalty kill percentage (74.7) in the NHL. C Logan Couture scored his team's lone goal in regulation. He has collected six points in his last five games.
OVERTIME:
1. Anaheim is one of two NHL teams to have yet to record a shorthanded goal this season. The Calgary Flames are the other.
2. San Jose welcomed back a familiar face in G Antero Niittymaki. He appeared in three games with Worcester of the American Hockey League while working on his conditioning following hip surgery.