(SportsNetwork.com) – The Anaheim Ducks hope to post consecutive victories for
the first time since the beginning of the month as the Pacific Division
leaders visit the Edmonton Oilers for Saturday’s battle at Rexall Place.
The Ducks sit comfortably atop the Pacific standings, but the first-place club
has struggled through most of February. However, Anaheim was able to notch a
6-3 victory Friday night in Calgary to record just its second win in seven
games (2-4-1).
Another win tonight would give the Ducks their first set of back-to-back wins
since beating Carolina and Nashville on Feb. 3 and 5.
Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Getzlaf and Hampus Lindholm each tallied a goal and an
assist as Anaheim used a five-goal third period to down the Flames at the
Saddledome.
Kyle Palmieri, Francois Beauchemin and Jakob Silfverberg also scored, Patrick
Maroon supplied two assists and John Gibson made 25 saves in his fourth
consecutive start for the Ducks.
“It’s nice,” Getzlaf said of the win. “When you’re working and playing the way
we did tonight, it’s nice to get rewarded for it.”
Anaheim is 10 points ahead of Vancouver for first place in the division and 11
in front of the third-place Flames.
With Frederik Andersen sidelined recently with a head injury, the Ducks may
have to start backup Ilya Bryzgalov tonight rather than use Gibson on
consecutive nights. Bryzgalov is just 1-4-1 with a 4.19 goals against average
in eight appearances for the Ducks this season.
The Oilers sit last in the West with 44 points and the club was handed a 4-0
loss Friday evening by the visiting Minnesota Wild. Former Edmonton goaltender
Devan Dubnyk only needed to make 15 saves to record the shutout victory for
the Wild.
Ben Scrivens stopped 25-of-29 shots as Edmonton fell to 1-2-1 over its last
four outings.
“We definitely didn’t have the energy we should have,” said Oilers defenseman
Mark Fayne. “Having the day off, I thought we should have been a little more
fresh.”
The Oilers are 10-17-2 as the host this season and will complete a three-game
homestand tonight.
It’s unclear if Scrivens will go on consecutive days for Edmonton or if backup
Richard Bachman will make his first start of the season. Bachman has appeared
twice for the Oilers in relief appearances so far in 2014-15.
The Ducks have won the first two of four meetings against the Oilers in
2014-15 and Anaheim boasts a 9-1-1 record in its past 11 games in this series.
Edmonton had won two straight on home ice in the series, but Anaheim notched a
4-2 win at Rexall Place on Dec. 12 to halt that streak and pick up its 12th
victory in the last 14 road encounters.
