Streaky Ducks look to end losing skid against Kings.
Los Angeles (7-7-2) at Anaheim (9-7-2), 8:00 pm EST

The Anaheim Ducks have become a streaky team, rolling through winning stretches of five and three games as well as enduring skids of three and four.

Caught in a negative wave, the Ducks look to snap a three-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.

Anaheim started 1-5-0 before rebounding with an 8-0-1 stretch. They have fallen again and will have to find a way to win without one of their top defensemen, Francois Beauchemin.

Usually alongside Scott Niedermayer to form one of the leagues most potent blue-line pairs, Beauchemin will likely miss the rest of the season after blowing out his left knee Friday in the Ducks 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. A six-year veteran, Beauchemin had four goals and one assist in 18 games. He was also averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time.

Lately, Anaheim has been sparked by Ryan Getzlaf, who had a goal and an assist against the Predators and has a point in 11 of their last 13 games.

The Kings saw their four-game win steak end on Saturday when they fell to the Predators, 3-1. Michal Handzus scored the lone goal as Los Angeles failed to post its first five-game run since February 11-March 7, 2006.

Starting his sixth straight game, Erik Ersberg, a second-year goalie who started the season as backup to Jason LaBarbera, turned aside 31 shots despite suffering his second loss.

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Sharks look for more dominance against Blackhawks.

San Jose (14-3-1) at Chicago (7-3-5), 7:00 pm EST
The Chicago Blackhawks have an impressive home record on their side; the San Jose Sharks have history on theirs.

Armed with plenty of success at the United Center this season, the Blackhawks look to avoid a 12th straight loss to the Sharks when the teams meet on Sunday.

The Blackhawks have yet to lose in regulation at home, posting a 6-0-4 record. However, they have dropped their last two contests there. Chicago fell, 4-3, in overtime to the St. Louis Blues on Friday and suffered a 2-1 shootout defeat two days prior against the Boston Bruins.

San Jose owns the leagues best record at home (10-0-1), but is much more vulnerable on the road, posting a pedestrian 4-3-0 mark. Since losing, 6-3, on the road on October 7, 2005, it has won 11 straight against Chicago.

The Sharks are coming off a 6-1 triumph over the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Joe Pavelski had two goals, Milan Michalek and Joe Thorton both tallied and captain Patrick Marleau had a power-play goal.

The 29-year-old Marleau has 13 goals and 16 assists in 40 career games against the Blackhawks.

If injured goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is forced to miss his fifth straight game, Brian Boucher will start. Boucher is 4-2-0 with two ties and a 1.84 goals-against average in eight career games against the Blackhawks.

Posted on November 17th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: NHL hockey news