A pair of teams aiming for back-to-back wins will meet
tonight in Southern California, as the Phoenix Coyotes visit the Anaheim
Ducks for a Pacific Division battle at Honda Center.
The Coyotes ended a two-game slide their last time out as they notched
Thursday's victory over visiting Chicago. It was also the fourth victory in
six games for Phoenix, which has a surprising 10-6-0 record on the season.
Phoenix posted a 3-1 decision over the Blackhawks thanks in part to a goal and
an assist from Martin Hanzal.
Peter Mueller and Scottie Upshall also scored for the Coyotes, while Ilya
Bryzgalov made 31 saves in the win. Upshall, who is tied for the team lead
with five goals, returned from a one-game absence due to a lower-body injury.
"I'm still concerned about the penalties we're taking, but I liked our compete
level right down to the final buzzer," said Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett,
who saw his club kill off all six of Chicago's chances with the man advantage.
The Coyotes could be without their top defenseman tonight as Ed Jovanovski is
questionable with a lower-body injury. Jovanovski is tied for the club lead in
goals (5) and points (13) this season. Phoenix defenseman Zbynek Michalek
missed the last contest with a lower-body injury and will also miss tonight as
he is sidelined indefinitely.
Phoenix has identical 5-3-0 records at home and on the road this year. After
tonight, the Coyotes will be off until Thursday when they'll host Montreal in
the opener of a three-game homestand.
Anaheim also ended a two-game skid in its last effort on Thursday, but it was
just the second victory in eight games for the last-place Ducks. Jonas Hiller
stopped all 40 shots he faced to pick up his fifth career shutout, as the
Ducks handled the visiting Nashville Predators, 4-0.
Hiller collected his first shutout of the season for the Ducks, who had a
1-5-1 record in their previous seven games. Teemu Selanne scored a pair of
goals. Bobby Ryan and Todd Marchant each lit the lamp for Anaheim, which
improved to 3-6-0 as the host this season.
"We played pretty solid defensively. I gave up a couple of rebounds, but our
defensemen were doing a great job tonight clearing those. I'm definitely happy
about the win. If we play the way we did tonight, we'll always have a chance
to win," Hiller said.
Hiller is Anaheim's undisputed No. 1 goaltender until Jean-Sebastien Giguere,
who last played on October 24, returns from a groin injury that is expected to
keep him out at least another week. Justin Pogge has been serving as the
backup while Giguere has been out, but has yet to see game action.
Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each bring seven-game point streaks into
tonight's contest. Perry has six goals during his tear and had a four-game
goal streak snapped on Thursday.
The Ducks are completing a three-game homestand tonight and will play their
next four games on the road.
The Coyotes posted a 3-2 shootout victory over visiting Anaheim last Saturday.
Phoenix has won two straight in the series after dropping the previous four
meetings. The Coyotes have lost two in a row and three of their last four in
Anaheim.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
