Sharks at Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks vie for their eighth straight victory when they host the San Jose Sharks in the finale of their five-game homestand Sunday. Anaheim's season-opening setback at Pittsburgh is a distant memory as the club has rattled off seven consecutive wins, including a 4-1 triumph over Columbus on Friday. Corey Perry, defenseman Sami Vatanen and captain Ryan Getzlaf each recorded a goal and an assist as the Ducks remained perfect through the first four games of their homestand.
Perry enters Sunday with a league-leading nine goals as he already has registered two hat tricks this season and has tallied in five of Anaheim's eight games. The Sharks are heading in the opposite direction as they suffered their fourth loss in a row Saturday, a 2-1 defeat against offensively challenged Buffalo. Defenseman Brent Burns scored the lone goal for San Jose, which began the campaign with a 4-0-1 record.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (4-4-1): San Jose's offense has gone on hiatus, scoring a total of eight goals during its slide after tallying 18 times during its season-opening five-game point streak. Patrick Marleau also has cooled down considerably, going four straight games without a goal after scoring in four of the Sharks' first five contests. Burns leads all NHL defensemen with nine points and is tied for first with Arizona's Keith Yandle with seven assists.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (7-1-0): Anaheim's current winning streak is its fourth of at least seven games since the start of the 2013-14 season. The club has allowed a total of three goals during its homestand while scoring 13. Frederik Andersen is a perfect 6-0-0 thus far and has won 10 straight decisions dating to last season.
OVERTIME
1. Vatanen is tied with Yandle for first among all defensemen with seven power-play points.
2. Sunday's contest begins a three-game road trip for the Sharks and a stretch during which they play 10 of 12 away from home.
3. Perry has collected 13 goals and 12 assists in his last 22 games against San Jose.