Lightning at Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have earned at least one point in 11 of their last 12 games en route to first place in the Pacific Division and look to continue that run when they host the rejuvenated Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. The Ducks saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with a 2-1 overtime setback against St. Louis on Sunday - the fourth loss in the extra session during their current hot streak.
“You want to keep climbing,” Anaheim defenseman Kevin Bieksa told reporters. “We’ve played a lot of hockey, and we’re going to continue to play a lot of hockey for the next few weeks here. It’s a grind. The objective is to get points every night.” The Lightning have won two of three since a demoralizing four-game losing streak - during which they allowed 22 goals - after grinding out a 2-1 victory at Los Angeles on Monday. The triumph over the Kings was especially impressive because it came without All-Star defenseman Victor Hedman, who skated in warmups but could not go due to illness and is questionable for Tuesday. The Lightning have been dominant of late in the all-time series with the Ducks, winning four straight meetings and notching points in 11 in a row (7-0-4).
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (21-20-4): Nikita Nesterov moved up to pair with Anton Stralman, who logged a team-high 25 minutes, 12 seconds of ice time on Monday, while fellow defenseman Luke Witkowski entered the lineup and logged just over 10 physical minutes. Ben Bishop turned aside 31 shots for the win, and that could give Tuesday’s start to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has lost five straight without receiving much help. Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 41 points, including an assist on Monday, and Jonathan Drouin has recorded 22 points in his last 20 games after setting up a tally against the Kings.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (24-13-9): Anaheim has played more efficiently in its own zone through the last month and All-Star goaltender John Gibson has been outstanding - especially in January, as he has posted a 5-1-1 record and .956 save percentage over his last seven games. Captain Ryan Getzlaf notched an assist in Sunday’s setback to extend his point streak to five games and is tied with Corey Perry for second on the team in scoring at 33 points. Rickard Rakell scored for the second time in three games Sunday to tie Ryan Kesler (team-high 37 points - 15 on the power play) for the club lead with 18 goals.
OVERTIME
1. The Lightning registered a season-high 41 hits on Monday as Cs Vladislav Namestnikov, Cedric Paquette and Brian Boyle recorded five apiece.
2. The Ducks have lost eight of their nine games decided in the 3-on-3 overtime session in 2016-17.
3. Tampa Bay RW Ryan Callahan (hip), who has played only 18 games this season, has been shut down for at least four weeks.