Oilers at Ducks
The league-leading Anaheim Ducks look to remain perfect this month when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in the opener of their home-and-home series. After dropping its final two games in November, Anaheim has begun December with four straight victories - including a 4-3 overtime triumph at Winnipeg on Sunday. It was the Ducks' first game without Corey Perry, who is expected to miss three to four more weeks with a sprained knee.
Edmonton is faced with a quick turnaround after suffering its 12th loss in 13 games on Tuesday. The Oilers erased an early two-goal deficit at San Jose but ultimately suffered a 5-2 setback after posting a 2-1 home victory over the Sharks two days earlier. Edmonton hosts the back end of the home-and-home set on Friday.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, RSN West (Edmonton), FSN West (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE OILERS (7-16-5): Edmonton's utter futility against the West continued Tuesday as it fell to 1-13-4 against conference opponents. That record includes a 1-9-1 mark versus Pacific Division rivals. David Perron enters Wednesday with a five-game point streak during which he has scored three of his five goals on the season.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (18-6-5): Perry was injured on a hip check by Minnesota's Keith Ballard on Friday but believes he's already had improvement. "Each day since (Saturday) has gotten better," he told the team's website. "If it continues to increase at this speed, hopefully it's over quicker than what we're expecting. We're thankful there aren't any tears." Anaheim's goaltending situation also improved Tuesday as the club signed veteran Ilya Bryzgalov to a one-year contract while John Gibson practiced with the team for the first time since suffering a groin injury on Nov. 2.
OVERTIME
1. Bryzgalov began his career with the Ducks in 2001-02 and went 26-23-8 with two shutouts in 69 games. The 34-year-old Russian also was a member of Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup championship team.
2. Edmonton G Viktor Fasth is expected to start against the Ducks, with whom he played the first 1 1/2 seasons of his NHL career.
3. Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf has collected two goals and eight assists during his five-game point streak while LW Matt Beleskey has scored six of his career-high 13 tallies over his last 10 contests.