CONNECT!
  • PODCAST
  • ITUNES

SIGN UP FOR
OUR NEWS LETTER

MAKE A DONATION

DONATE

Preview: Ducks Battle Lightning

Photo: Associated Press

Photo: Associated Press

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks(24-13-9) host the Tampa Bay Lightning(21-20-4) tonight. This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams.

Anaheim Outlook:

The Ducks had rattled three wins off in a row before losing their last game in overtime to the St. Louis Blues. Anaheim played another solid defensive game but again couldn’t get the two points in overtime. The Ducks are 1-8 in overtime and 2-1 in shootouts.  Ryan Kesler and Rickard Rakell lead the team with 18 goals. Jakob Silfverberg has 12 goals. Andrew Cogliano and Nick Ritchie both have 10 goals. Anaheim is in first place in the Pacific Division with 56 points.

Keys To The Game

Tampa Bay played last night, so the Ducks scoring first would be beneficial. Anaheim had continued to play solid defense. Despite the return of Getzlaf, the Ducks are still struggling on the power play. They have just scored once with the extra man in their last seven games going 1-for-20. The power play is still in the top ten in the league(currently 9th), but it would be good if they could break the recent slump. 

Anaheim’s Projected Lineup

Offense
Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg
Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Nick Ritchie – Antoine Vermette – Ondrej Kase
Joseph Cramarossa – Logan Shaw – Jared Boll

Defense
Cam Fowler – Sami Vatanen
Hampus Lindholm – Josh Manson
Korbinian Holzer – Kevin Bieksa

In Net
John Gibson 17-10-8, GAA 2.33, SV% .920 (Unconfirmed)

Tampa Bay Outlook

The Lightning just beat Los Angeles last night 2-1. It’s just their second win in their last seven games. Tampa Bay has had a rough season with injuries and find themselves in a much different position as opposed to last season. Currently, the Lightning are in 6th place in the Atlantic Division, but just a few points out of a playoff spot. Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 17 goals. Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Alex Killorn each have 13 goals.

Key’s To The Game

Tampa Bay has one of the best power plays at 23.3% which is 4th best in the league. They will look to sustain a solid forward and draw penalties to get on the power play. The Lightning will also look to avoid the penalty box, as their penalty kill is just over 80.3% which is 20th in the league. The Lightning average 2.73 goals per game, but they also give up 2.91. Anaheim’s games have been on the lower scoring side lately, but this game could possibly see some goals scored than normal lately.

Tampa Bay’s Projected Lineup

Offense
Ondrej Palat – Vladislav Namestnikov – Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn – Tyler Johnson – Erik Condra
Brian Boyle – Valtteri Filppula – Jonathan Drouin
Michael Bournival – Cedric Paquette – Gabriel Dumont

Defense
Nikita Nesterov – Anton Stralman
Jason Garrison – Andrej Sustr
Braydon Coburn – Luke Witkowski

In Net
Andrei Vasilevskiy, 10-10-2, 2.93 GAA, .906 SV% (Unconfirmed)

Want to hear more about the Ducks? Click below to listen to our latest podcast!

Want to be an Editor or Writer? Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team

January 17, 2017


Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, ducksnpucks, tampa bay lightning

PICK A TEAM

chigago blackhawks

Chi-Town Hawks

anaheim ducks

Ducks N Pucks

boston bruins

Bruin Strong

carolina hurricanes

Carolina Caniacs

colorado avalanche

Denver Avs

arizona coyotes

Coyotes Howl

Buffalo sabres

Sabres Den

columbus blue jackets

Blue Jacket Army

dallas stars

Shootout Stars

calgary flames

Fierce Flames

detroit red wings

Red Wings Town

new york islanders

Long island Pucks

minnesota wild

Rink Wild

edmonton oilers

Ice Oilers

florida panthers

Roaring Panthers

new york rangers

Fighting Rangers

nashville predators

Preds N Pucks

los angeles kings

LA Royalty

montreal canadiens

Hockey Habs

new jersey devils

Puck Devils

st.louis blues

Break Away Blues

san jose sharks

Bay Sharks

ottawa senators

Slap Shot Sens

philadelphia flyers

Furious Flyers

winnipeg jets

High Flying Jets

vancouver canucks

Canucks N Pucks

tampa bay lightning

Bay Bolts

pittsburgh

Pens N Pucks

toronto maple Leafs

Just Leafs

washington capitals

Capital Pucks