Coyotes 2 - Ducks 1 F/SO
The Ducks lost a tough one in Phoenix last night, 2-1 in a shootout. Again the Ducks had chances to win the game but came up short. On this one however, the Coyotes deserve their props. They played a tight game and kept Anaheim's scorers in check.
What will stick in the Ducks collective craw is Shane Doan's shootout winning score. Through the first three rounds of the skills competition, both goalies held the opposition scoreless. In round four Doan scored an unlikely winner.
Canucks at Ducks No time to dwell on the other point that was lost yesterday because the Canucks visit the Honda Center tonight. It is the first of a season long eight game homestand. As a matter of fact, the Ducks don't play another game of the Pacific Time Zone until February 5, 2015. Vancouver enters the game 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, yet still hold on to the the final playoff slot in the west.
Corey Perry is not expected to return to action tonight for the Ducks. It is unlikely that forwards Kyle Palmieri and Tim Jackman play either. Last night Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau did a bit of line shuffling to jump start the offense, so the lineup is in a bit of flux up front. Additionally, Boudreau was non-committal on his starting goalie tonight, but with no other games scheduled until Wednesday, there is a good chance that Frederik Andersen will get the call. If Bryzgalov does not play tonight, his next chance will probably come January 16 or 17. Best estimates have the Ducks lineup as follows:
Forwards Beleskey-Getzlaf-DSP Maroon-Kesler-Sifverberg Cogliano-Rakell-Etem Heatley-Thompson-Bourque
Defensemen Fowler-Lovejoy Lindholm-Beauchemin Stoner-Vatanen
Goalies Andersen Bryzgalov
-Ed