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Ducks Need a Fresh Start Against Edmonton

March 5, 2012, 1:55 PM ET [15 Comments]
Steve Palumbo
San Jose Sharks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
If you are the Anaheim Ducks you have to be looking forward to the upcoming week. After an exhausting road trip the team returned home to play five games in seven nights.

Eventually the heavy workload catches up with you making it impossible to be at your best every night. The Ducks struggled last week and it was obvious their legs were tired.

Compared to the previous week, the upcoming seven days will seem like a tropic vacation getaway. The Ducks will play three games over the next seven days and that includes two days off in a row. Time to bust out the hammocks!

With Anaheim having lost three of the last four, they are in search of the confidence they exuded for the better part of the last two months. A little rest and tonight's opponent may be just the perfect fix-all for that.

The Ducks are 10-2-1 in their last 13 at Honda Center and certainly have reason to believe they can pick up another two points again tonight. The Oilers lay claim to the league’s worst road record at 9-20-2. Factor in that Anaheim has outscored Edmonton 15-4 over their last four head-to-head match-ups, including a 5-0 whitewash earlier this season AND the Ducks have only lost once in the previous ten meetings with the Oilers.

I'd say the Ducks have to feel pretty good about their chances tonight.

(On a side note: Is there a way to proposition the league to let the Ducks only play teams from Alberta?)
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What to watch out for...

Edmonton Oilers (25-33-6) vs. Anaheim Ducks (28-28-10)

* I believe the Ducks have surrendered the first goal in seven straight games. If they want to turn around their luck they have to find a way to score first.

* Anaheim is just 2 for 30 with the man advantage over the last five games, They have to be better on special teams. Expect the power play to play a big role in tonight's match-up.

* Despite Ryan Getlaf's game-winning goal the other night against Calgary, he has been anything but consistent offensively. However in the Ducks previous game against the Oilers he had four assists and has four goals and 12 assists in his last eight versus Edmonton.

* Teemu Selanne who has a team-high 57 points, picked up an assist Saturday and is now one point shy of tying his childhood hero Jari Kurri for 19th on the all-time points list with 1,398.

* The Oilers are 17 points out of the playoff race and are essentially playing the role of spoiler. So far they've managed to only spoil the Ducks playoff chances, losing 3-1 to the Dallas Stars on Friday. The Stars are now nine points up on Anaheim.

* Just like the Ducks, Edmonton is in the midst of a brutal schedule. They have 27 games and 19 flights in 53 days and will play a game every other night for the rest of the season. Expect tired legs on the Oilers bench.

* Edmonton goalie Nikolia Khabibulin is expected to start tonight at Honda Center. The netminder missed two weeks with a groin injury, but returned in Friday's 3-1 against the Stars.
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Check out my Ducks week in review over on TheHockeyGuys.net


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