Canucks at Ducks
Ryan Kesler will face his former team for the first time when his Anaheim Ducks host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. Kesler looks to halt his eight-game goal-scoring drought as he squares off against a Vancouver team with which he spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career before being traded this past summer. The 30-year-old has recorded only three tallies and 10 points in his first 15 games with the Ducks.
Nick Bonino, who went from Anaheim to Vancouver in the deal, has registered seven goals in 15 contests with the Canucks - including three in his last three games. The Ducks dropped a 3-2 decision to Arizona on Friday to fall to 0-0-2 on their four-game homestand but have earned a point in four straight contests (1-0-3). Vancouver fell to 2-1-0 on its four-game road trip after suffering a 5-1 loss at Los Angeles on Saturday.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-5-0): Chris Higgins scored with 7:53 remaining in the third period Saturday to keep Vancouver from being shut out for the first time this season. The Canucks lost more than a game, however, as right wings Radim Vrbata and Derek Dorsett each played just one shift in the final session before leaving with undisclosed injuries. Vancouver allowed more than three goals for the first time since a 7-3 loss at Colorado on Oct. 24.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (10-3-2): Corey Perry, who shares the league lead with 11 goals, is likely to miss his third consecutive game due to the flu. Francois Beauchemin also has been hit with the illness as he missed Saturday's practice and also could sit out against the Canucks. Fellow defenseman Cam Fowler is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury that forced him out of Friday's contest versus the Coyotes.
OVERTIME
1. Ducks LW Matt Beleskey has tallied in two straight games and is four away from matching his career high of 11 set in 2009-10.
2. Canucks G Ryan Miller's next victory will be the 305th of his career, tying him with Billy Smith for 25th place on the all-time list.
3. Anaheim has scored fewer than three goals in six of its last seven games.