Ducks at Devils
The Anaheim Ducks attempt to expand their lead in the race for the Presidents' Trophy when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Anaheim skated to a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday to improve to 2-2-0 on its five-game road trip and clinch a spot in the postseason. The Pacific Division-leading Ducks increased their league-best point total to 103, one more than both Nashville and Montreal.
New Jersey is coming off its fourth consecutive loss, a 3-1 setback at Carolina on Saturday. Patrik Elias scored the lone goal for the Devils, who were pushed to the brink of elimination from playoff contention as they trail Boston by 13 points for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining. The Ducks registered a 5-1 home victory over New Jersey on Jan. 16 as Jakob Silfverberg scored twice while Patrick Maroon and defenseman Hampus Lindholm each recorded a goal and an assist.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN West (Anaheim), MSG (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (48-22-7): Saturday's triumph secured Anaheim's third consecutive trip to the playoffs and 11th overall in franchise history. The Ducks matched the franchise records for most wins (23) and points (50) through 39 road games, and their 48 overall victories are the second-most in club history through 77 contests (50 last season). Corey Perry was kept off the scoresheet by New York, ending his four-game point streak.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (31-32-12): Elias' goal against the Hurricanes accounted for his 1,014th career point, moving him past Pat LaFontaine for sole possession of 78th place on the all-time list. Next up for the 38-year-old Czech is Dale Hunter, who is 77th with 1,020 points. New Jersey's offense has struggled mightily during its slide, scoring a total of four goals during the four-game skid.
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks are 31-1-7 in one-goal games this season.
2. New Jersey G Cory Schneider is expected to make his 64th start of the campaign Sunday.
3. Anaheim leads the Pacific Division by 12 points over Vancouver, which has seven games remaining.