Filed under: Ducks, Wings, NHL GeneralTonight is the third of four meetings between the two most recent Stanley Cup Champions this s
eason. The teams split the first two meetings, with Anaheim winning on October 29th, and Detroit evening things up on December 1st. The final meeting will be in Detroit on February 20th.
Anaheim currently stands twenty points back of San Jose in the Pacific Division with 49 points in 44 games. That's good for the fifth seed in the West. In six games since the New Year, the Ducks have posted a 3-2-1 record. They are coming off a 4-3 win over New Jersey that followed a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Those are certainly mixed results given the relative positions of the Devils and the Lightning in the standings.Detroit, on the other hand, is just five points behind the Sharks for the Western Conference lead, with 64 in 42 games. The Wings are 5-1-0 in 2009, with their only loss thus far coming Monday night in Dallas. There, they kicked off a five-game road trip out West, with the marquee matchup in San Jose coming Saturday.
No official starter has been named for Detroit tonight, but my guess is Ty Conklin gets the nod after Chris Osgood played Monday.
The Ducks will be hard-pressed to stop Pavel Datsyuk, who has the media in Detroit writing about his worthiness for the Hart today after playing like an MVP for over a month. He and his teammates should be highly motivated ter that embarassing loss to the Stars. The Ducks, on the other hand, certainly won't lay down and absorb a loss. This should be a spirited game, as these two teams have a colorful history.
Wings, Ducks Face Off In Anaheim originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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