Oilers at Ducks
The league-leading Anaheim Ducks begin their final homestand of the regular season against the streaking Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Anaheim, which leads Nashville and the New York Rangers by two points in the race for the Presidents' Trophy, is riding a three-game winning streak as it concluded its five-game road trip with one-goal victories against Boston, the New York Islanders and New Jersey after being outscored 12-5 in losses to the Rangers and Columbus.
The league-leading Anaheim Ducks begin their final homestand of the regular season against the streaking Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Anaheim, which leads Nashville and the New York Rangers by two points in the race for the Presidents' Trophy, is riding a three-game winning streak as it concluded its five-game road trip with one-goal victories against Boston, the New York Islanders and New Jersey after being outscored 12-5 in losses to the Rangers and Columbus. The Ducks, who are on the verge of clinching the Pacific Division title, continue their homestand versus Colorado and Dallas before closing out the regular season in Arizona.
Edmonton also enters Wednesday's matchup with a three-game winning streak during which it sandwiched triumphs over the Avalanche around a shutout win against the Stars. The Oilers escaped the Western Conference basement by ending March strong, going 5-1-2 to move five points ahead of the Coyotes. The Ducks look to complete a sweep of the four-game season series, which has been surprisingly close as Anaheim has posted a pair of 2-1 victories and a 4-2 triumph that included a late empty-net goal.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, RSN West (Edmonton), FSN West (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE OILERS (23-40-13): Edmonton is likely to continue to ride Richard Bachman, who has stopped 58-of-59 shots in winning the team's last two contests. Taylor Hall has recorded a point in six consecutive games - including all five since returning from a leg injury. Rookie Andrew Miller collected three assists in Monday's win over Colorado, giving him six points in his last three contests.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (49-22-7): Defenseman Francois Beauchemin's game-winning goal against the Devils on Sunday was his 10th tally of the season, marking the first time he has reached double digits in his career. Ryan Kesler also reached a milestone Sunday, hitting the 20-goal mark for the seventh time in 11 NHL campaigns. The 30-year-old became the fourth member of the Ducks to reach the plateau in 2014-15, joining Corey Perry (32), captain Ryan Getzlaf (24) and Matt Beleskey (22).
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks are a league-best 32-1-7 in one-goal games.
2. Edmonton is seeking its second four-game winning streak of the season, with the first taking place from Oct. 20-27.
3. Oilers RW Jordan Eberle has collected seven goals and nine assists over his last 11 contests.