• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

GDT: Ducks VS Penguins; Game 62; 03-07-2014

Baltic Gal

Baltic Gal

Moderator
Ducks VS Penguins


Game 62

03/07/2014

In Anaheim,CA

@7:00PM Pacific Time

Preview:

​
NHL-leading Ducks Host Eastern Conference-leading Penguins


PENGUINS (41-17-4) at DUCKS (43-14-6)


TV: ROOT, PRIME


Last 10: Pittsburgh 5-3-2; Anaheim 5-4-1


Season series: Anaheim and Pittsburgh conclude a two-game season series tonight at Honda Center. The Ducks own an all-time record of 10-13-2 against the Penguins (7-4-0 in Orange County). The Ducks have won two of the last three games, including a 3-2 victory in the Penguins’ last visit to Honda Center on Nov. 5, 2010. Teemu Selanne leads active Ducks scorers in career scoring vs. the Penguins, earning 34 points (13g/21a) with 14 penalty minutes in 22 games.


Big story: The NHL-leading Ducks (43-14-6, 92 points) take on the East-leading Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth contest of a season-tying five-game homestand tonight at Honda Center (7 p.m. PST, PRIME TICKET/AM 830). With points in four straight (3-0-1), Anaheim is riding its best start to a season through 63 games, improving upon its previous mark of 36-17-10 for 82 points in 2006-07. This is the deepest into a season that the Ducks have ever led the league in points (previously 48 games, 2006-07). Anaheim also has the best home (24-5-3) and road (19-9-3) records, scored the most goals (203) and allowed the fewest (149) at this stage of the season in club history. The Ducks rank second in the NHL - behind only Chicago - in the NHL in goals scored and goals-per-game average (3.22). The team has gone 15-6-1 in the last 22 games and 25-7-1 in the last 33, including a 14-5-1 mark at Honda Center and 11-2-0 road record.


Following tonight's game, the Ducks will conclude the homestand Monday vs. Toronto. Six of Anaheim's seven opponents at Honda Center this month hail from the Eastern Conference. The lone exception is Winnipeg on Mar. 31.


Team Scope:


Ducks: Defenseman Stephane Robidas, whom the Ducks acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, practiced Thursday but likely won't be ready to play in a game with his new team until March 14 at the earliest. The 37-year-old has not played since he broke his leg Nov. 29.


"I'm feeling really good," he said. "Actually, [Thursday] morning I was a little afraid because I traveled in the morning. Sometimes, with planes, my leg swells up. I didn't have that much time before practice to get all the exercise that I usually do, but I felt really good on the ice."


The addition of Robidas, who hopes to make his Ducks debut next Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, should bolster a defense corps that is allowing 2.36 goals per game, the sixth-best average in the league. Coach Bruce Boudreau is happy to have the veteran defenseman on his side after watching him battle forward Corey Perry the past few seasons.


"We know from experience that we hated playing against him," Boudreau said of Robidas. "He would be in Perry's face all night long. He can be a real agitator as well as a real good player. It seems like a good fit come playoff time. He brings Stanley Cup experience."


Penguins: Pittsburgh's loss to San Jose dropped it to 1-2-1 since returning from the NHL break for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The Penguins have allowed 16 goals in the four games.


Sidney Crosby leads the NHL in road points with 41, but was held off the scoresheet in San Jose and was a career-worst minus-5.


"They got a big goal there on their penalty kill (when Patrick Marleau scored to tie the game at 2-2 early in the third period). And that was a big boost, I'm sure," Crosby said. "But then we got the lead back shortly after, and then when they tied it 3-3 they seemed to come pretty hard after that. I think the whole second half of the game we were on our heels a bit."


The Penguins, who are 18-13-2 on the road, conclude their five-game trip Monday against the Washington Capitals.


Who's hot: Perry has three goals and an assist in the Ducks' past four games. ... Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta scored twice against San Jose. He has four goals in his past five games. Forward Chris Kunitz has a goal in two straight games.


Injury report: In addition to Robidas, Anaheim center Mathieu Perreault (upper body) is on IR. ... Pittsburgh defensemen Paul Martin (broken hand) and Kris Letang (stroke), forwards Beau Bennett (broken wrist/hand), Chris Conner (hand) and Pascal Dupuis (torn ACL) and goalie Tomas Vokoun (blood clot) are on injured reserve. Martin will miss several more weeks, and Bennett is more than a week from returning. Letang is out indefinitely, Conner is day-to-day and Dupuis (torn ACL) is out for the season. Vokoun, who has not played this season, returned to practice last week.
Click to expand...
hCE59DE3D


h2C64F761



​
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top