Ducks at Canucks
The Anaheim Ducks attempt to conclude their three-game road trip without having allowed a goal when they visit the Pacific Division-rival Vancouver Canucks on Friday. Anaheim began its trek with a 1-0 triumph at Calgary on Tuesday and won in Edmonton by the same score two nights later, with John Gibson turning aside a total of 35 shots in the victories to double his season shutout total.
Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau would be wise to go right back to Gibson on Friday as the 22-year-old posted his first blanking of the campaign against the Canucks on Nov. 30 and registered an 18-save shutout at Vancouver in his NHL debut on April 7, 2014. The Canucks split the first two contests of their seven-game homestand, losing 5-0 to Los Angeles on Monday to halt their three-game winning streak at Rogers Arena. Jacob Markstrom has made three straight starts since Ryan Miller went down with muscle cramps against Florida on Dec. 20, allowing one goal in triumphs over Tampa Bay and Edmonton before being torched for five by the Kings. The Canucks and Ducks split two meetings in Anaheim earlier this season, with Vancouver's victory coming in a shootout.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket, FSN San Diego (Anaheim), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (15-15-6): While he hasn't had much trouble setting up goals this season, Ryan Getzlaf finally is beginning to score them. The captain netted the lone tally in Thursday's victory, giving him two of his three goals on the campaign in his last three games. Corey Perry, who is the only member of the team with a double-digit goal total (13), has tallied in only two of his last eight contests.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (14-15-9): Vancouver would like its captain to find his scoring touch, as Henrik Sedin enters Friday with a seven-game goal-scoring drought and just one tally in his last 12 contests. The 35-year-old Swede is second on the team with 33 points — four behind twin brother Daniel, who also tops the club with 16 goals. Defenseman Ashton Sautner will have to wait to make his NHL debut as he was assigned to Utica of the American Hockey League on Thursday — four days after the 21-year-old was recalled.
OVERTIME
1. Gibson is riding a shutout streak of 157 minutes, 34 seconds.
2. Vancouver scored a total of one goal in its first two meetings with Anaheim this season.
3. Anaheim has posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since March 6 and 8, 2013 and is the first team to record consecutive 1-0 victories on the road since Winnipeg accomplished the feat Nov. 1 and 2, 2014.