Ducks at Senators
A trip through Canada these days means playing teams who are out of Stanley Cup playoff contention, but don't tell that to the Anaheim Ducks as they continue their five-game trek through the birthplace of hockey against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Anaheim clinched a postseason berth with a 6-5 overtime loss to Toronto on Thursday that dropped them to 1-1-1 on a tougher-than-expected excursion which concludes Monday in Edmonton.
The Ducks, who trail first-place Los Angeles by three points in the Pacific while two ahead of San Jose, are 3-4-2 since an eye-popping 25-4-2 surge vaulted them to the top of the division. "I can’t speak for them on how they feel,'' Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. ''It’s a long year and we had to start our push an awful lot earlier than most teams. We’ll get it back before the playoffs. ..." Ottawa is part of a seven-team Canadian contingent that will collectively miss the playoffs for the first time since 1969-70 - the only season in NHL history that didn't have a team from Canada in the tournament. The Senators, who are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Islanders in New York on Wednesday, have dropped three of four and six of nine (3-5-1), and allow the third-most goals in the NHL at 2.99 per game.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket and FSN San Diego (Anaheim), CITY, TVAS2
ABOUT THE DUCKS (40-23-10): Boudreau said he didn't know whether Ryan Kesler would return to the team during the trip after the center missed Thursday's game because of a family emergency. Jamie McGinn scored twice Thursday, giving him a career-high 21 goals this season - including seven in 12 contests since being acquired from Buffalo. Defenseman Simon Despres, who missed 42 games earlier this season because of a concussion, took a big hit in Montreal on Tuesday and missed Thursday's game as he was sent back to southern California to be evaluated while defenseman Kevin Bieksa left Thursday's contest with an upper-body injury.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (34-33-8): Mark Stone scored his 23rd goal Wednesday - three shy of his career high set last season, but wants to be more than just a scorer. "... I want to be a leader on this team,” Stone, who is serving as alternate captain because of injuries to Kyle Turris, Chris Neil and Dion Phaneuf, told reporters. "... I try to play the right way, and in having younger guys try and look up to my game a little bit.” Phaneuf will miss his second straight game after suffering a lower-body injury in a 4-2 loss to Washington on Tuesday.
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim recalled D Shea Theodore from San Diego of the American Hockey League on Wednesday after the 20-year-old made an impressive NHL debut with two goals and six points in 13 games from Dec. 29 through Jan. 26.
2. The Ducks boast the top power play and penalty killing units in the NHL at 23.7 and 86.4 percent, respectively, despite allowing three power-play goals Thursday after not allowing one in the previous eight games (21 chances).
3. Anaheim prevailed at home 4-1 on Jan. 13 with Theodore scoring his first NHL goal in the first meeting of the two-game season series, and has won four of the last five encounters in Ottawa.