(SportsNetwork.com) – Somebody will leave Toronto with a loss, as the Anaheim
Ducks and Maple Leafs both put sizeable winning streaks on the line Tuesday
at Air Canada Centre.
The Ducks have the NHL’s longest current winning streak with seven straight
victories. Anaheim has yet to lose in the month of December and with 47 points
is leading the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.
Bruce Boudreau’s Ducks also are 2-0 at the start of a five-game road trip and
have won four straight as the guest. Anaheim owns an 11-3-2 record away from
Orange County this season.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have won five in a row and with another victory
tonight can post their longest winning streak since a six-game run from Jan.
12-21 of last season.
Toronto is on a winning streak in this matchup, having won five straight since
Anaheim’s last victory in the series on Oct. 21, 2008 at Air Canada Centre.
The Leafs have won two straight and six of their last seven home tests versus
the Ducks.
Anaheim matched its longest winning streak of the season with Saturday’s 4-1
triumph in Winnipeg. The Ducks, who also won seven straight from Oct. 11-24,
last claimed eight victories in a row from Dec. 31-Jan 15 of last season.
The Ducks are red hot despite playing without star winger Corey Perry, who is
sidelined with a sprained knee. Perry’s centerman, Ryan Getzlaf, keyed
Anaheim’s big second period in Winnipeg on Saturday, notching the go-ahead
goal to make it a 2-1 game with 8:29 left in the second period. It was
Getzlaf’s 10th goal of the season.
Jakob Silfverberg and Nate Thompson also lit the lamp in the second period for
the Ducks. Andrew Cogliano added an empty-netter with 1:15 left to seal the
win for Anaheim, which recorded a power-play goal and two short-handed tallies
in the win.
Frederik Andersen made his 18th straight start for the Ducks and turned aside
27 shots for the win.
“He was great in the back-to-back,” Boudreau said, referring to Andersen
playing Friday night in a 4-2 victory at Edmonton. “He was moving around, and
he was sharp. I can’t make things up. It was a good game from everybody.”
Anaheim will cap its swing by playing on consecutive nights in Montreal and
Ottawa on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Toronto’s most recent win came Sunday against the defending Stanley Cup
champions, as the Leafs edged the visiting Los Angeles Kings in a shootout.
Joffrey Lupul notched the lone goal of the tiebreaker to lift Toronto to the
4-3 victory.
Lupul skated up the middle, dipped his shoulder and wristed a shot over the
glove of Jonathan Quick to lead off the shootout. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles’
final shooter, tried to go up high, but James Reimer got a piece of the shot
with his glove to seal the win.
Reimer made 33 saves and stopped all three Kings in the shootout.
Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson each finished with a goal and an assist and
James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Maple Leafs.
“Hopefully this builds confidence in our group,” Maple Leafs coach Randy
Carlyle said. “We need to remain level headed.”
Toronto improved to 13-7-0 as the host and is capping a three-game homestand
tonight. The Leafs will then play eight of their next nine on the road.
Former Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier is 4-1-1 with a 2.01 goals against
average in his career against the Ducks and he will get the call for Toronto
tonight.
Andersen is expected to start again tonight. He lost his only career game
against the Leafs, allowing three goals in a home setback on March 10 of last
season.
The Ducks did recall forward goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from his conditioning
assignment with Norfolk of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, while
assigning backup goaltender Jason LaBarbera to the AHL team. Bryzgalov joins
the active roster after signing a one-year contract last week.
Anaheim also recalled forward Dany Heatley from his conditioning assignment
with Norfolk, Heatley has been limited to four games this season because of
groin issues and last played for the Ducks on Nov. 9.
