Canucks at Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks look to rebound from a rough season opener when they make their 2015-16 home debut against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. The Ducks, who lost Game 7 of the Western Conference final at home to Chicago this past spring, allowed 44 shots while registering only three in the third period of a 2-0 loss at rival San Jose on Saturday.
“The positive is we know how hard we have to work,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. “It’s a game where they worked from beginning to end. We had spots where we were gliding. We can’t afford to do that.” Vancouver posted points in each of its first two games of the campaign, posting a 5-1 victory at Calgary on Wednesday before dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime three days later in the back end of the home-and-home series. Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks with a goal and two assists while Ryan Miller has stopped 64-of-68 shots. Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler was a late scratch Saturday due to the flu Saturday and is questionable for Monday.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, RSN (Vancouver), Prime Ticket, FSN San Diego (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (1-0-1): Coach Willie Desjardins wasn't exactly thrilled to watch his team cough up a third-period lead on Saturday before losing in overtime. “It was nice to get one point, but I think that is a game where you have to find a way to get two,” he told reporters afterward. The Canucks, who are 1-for-7 on the power play, have given up a total of 28 third-period shots through the first two contests. Jared McCann scored his first career goal in his second game Saturday and fellow rookie Ben Hutton, a defenseman, has posted a pair of assists in two contests.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (0-1-0): Boudreau split up star forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to start Saturday’s season opener before putting them back together on a line with newcomer Carl Hagelin in the third period. Frederik Andersen made 42 saves against San Jose to keep the Ducks in the contest. “What I worked on this summer, I could tell improvement in my game already,” he told reporters. Jakob Silfverberg, who received a head shot from the Sharks' Raffi Torres late in the preseason, led Anaheim with four shots on goal Saturday.
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks gained points in four of their five meetings with the Canucks last season (3-1-1), with three of the games going beyond regulation.
2. Vancouver RW Radim Vrbata has registered 11 shots over his first two games without recording a point.
3. Anaheim D Kevin Bieksa played the first 597 contests of his career with the Canucks before being traded over the summer.