Ducks at Hurricanes
The Anaheim Ducks began November by winning their first five games before squandering a two-goal lead and getting blown out of the water in their last two contests. Anaheim looks to right the ship on Friday, when it visits the Carolina Hurricanes. The Ducks followed a 3-2 setback against Florida on Tuesday with a listless performance two days later, as Emerson Etem netted his team's lone tally in a 5-1 rout by Tampa Bay.
Carolina rebounded from a five-game losing streak and improved to 3-0-1 on its season-high five-game homestand with a 2-1 triumph over Colorado on Tuesday. Justin Peters has been dominant in the latter stretch, stopping 110-of-114 shots (.965 save percentage) to earn the praise of coach Kirk Muller. "(Peters) started off a little rough and he stuck with it," Muller told the Raleigh News & Observer. "I think that's a tribute to him, for the mental toughness."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), FSN (Carolina)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (15-5-1): Captain Ryan Getzlaf missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury, although coach Bruce Boudreau sees a light at the end of the tunnel. "If not (Friday), hopefully Monday (versus Pittsburgh)," Boudreau said. "He's getting close." Anaheim sent rookie Frederik Andersen to Norfolk of the American Hockey League prior to Thursday's game and recalled Viktor Fasth, who is in line to start versus Carolina in what would be his first appearance since Oct. 16 due to a lower-body injury.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (7-7-4): Spurred by the inclusion of veteran Manny Malhotra, Carolina has won the majority of the faceoffs in each of the last six games. "It’s like a football team running the ball and killing the clock," Muller said. "They have ball possession, and for hockey, if you can win draws, you start every shift with the puck, and it’s so huge." Jeff Skinner (upper body) participated in practice and could return versus the Ducks, while Radek Dvorak sat out on Thursday with a lower-body injury.
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim RW Corey Perry returned after being sidelined with the flu, which has run rampant through the team.
2. Peters' time as the primary starter could be coming to an end as G Cam Ward - who has been sidelined since Oct. 24 - will serve as the team's backup on Friday.
3. Future Hall-of-Famer Teemu Selanne has been held without a goal in each of his last nine contests.