19 games have come and gone at the Honda Center in 2013-14, and all of them have ended with the hometown Anaheim Ducks earning at least one point. The Ducks have skated off as the victors in 17 of those 19, no less. But tonight, Zdeno Chara and the Boston Bruins kick off their three-game California trip with their sights set on playing the role of homewrecker.
But it’s going to be anything but easy for the B’s.
In case this past Sunday’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Canucks where Corey Perry scored with .6 left on the clock didn’t tell you, just about everything has gone right for the Ducks at home this season. They’ve scored the fourth most goals in the league on home ice this year (74 in 19 games, or 3.89 goals per game) while allowing the second fewest goals against at home (36 in 19 games).
Anaheim’s led by their star-studded top line of Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Dustin Penner -- a trio that’s combined for 53 goals and 116 points -- and most recently saw the return of Jakob Silfverberg bolster their depth on the wing.
Oh, and goaltender Jonas Hiller enters play with 11 straight wins to his name.
Yeah, no sweat, Bruins.
Of course, this isn’t to suggest that the Bruins, a team riding a two-game win streak and with six wins in their last 10 overall, are heading to a slaughterhouse. But if the Bruins are to leave Anaheim with a seemingly improbable two points in their pocket, it’s going to require yet another four-line effort, which is exactly what you saw in the club’s 4-1 victory over the Jets this past Saturday.
While Torey Krug lit the lamp for two goals, with Danny Paille and Reilly Smith scoring the others, the Bruins put forth a seriously solid effort against a reeling Jets team anchored by inconsistent goaltending (Ondrej Pavelec). They can (probably) turn to that again. Hiller, while entering play with the aforementioned win streak and a .928 even-strength save percentage this season, hasn’t always been known for his lights out consistency. He can be rattled, and is prone to some weak goals. That seems right up the Bruins’ second line’s alley, namely for Reilly Smith or Brad Marchand, who are both gelling with ease right now.
In the opposite net, the Bruins will give the start to Tuukka Rask.
Rask stopped 36 of 37 in his last outing, and enters play with one win, an .891 save percentage, and six goals allowed in just two career games against the Ducks.
Justin Florek, who made his NHL debut on Saturday, is expected to be in the B’s lineup once again while Jordan Caron continues to suffer from back pain.