The Ducks are home tonight for the first time in over two weeks and they will face a very tough Phoenix Coyotes team.
The Ducks return to the Honda Center for the first time since Oct. 20 after an extremely successful road trip around the globe. The Coyotes are red hot and have won five games in a row, including three consecutive shootout victories.
Tonight marks the second of five meetings between these two Pacific Division rivals. Anaheim won the first meeting in a shootout back in mid-October, but both team have been playing well. Each has seven regulation win in its last 10 games.
Anaheim has yet to lose at home (5-0-0), but tonight's game will be no walk in the park. The Coyotes are only one point behind the Ducks in the Pacific Division standings and a win tonight would put them into the division and NHL points lead. In addition, Phoenix goalie Mike Smith is 8-0-2 in his last 10 games and has stopped 120 of the last 125 shots he faced.
Look for Teemu Selanne to make a return to the lineup after having his mouth glued back together after it was hacked to pieces by an errant high stick in Philadelphia. Anaheim should get a little boost from the Flash's return.
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I know there is a ton a speculation around the Ducks and the possibility of trading Jonas Hiller. The Edmonton Oilers seem like a real possibility. To me it makes sense especially with the emergence of Frederik Andersen as a legit starting NHL goalie.
Don't be surprised if other teams (NYI & PHI) try and jump into the mix if they know Hiller is available.
This is something that we should watch closely as a deal seems almost a forgone conclusion at this point.
We shall see.
I'll have more after the game!
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