Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Anaheim Ducks (15-5-2, 32 points) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (12-8-0, 24 points) hit the ice against each other live from the Consol Energy Center in the first of two meetings against each other this season. The game can be live streamed here. Anaheim fans can hear all of the hard-hitting action on 830 AM KLAA while Pittsburgh fans can do the same on WXDX 105.9 FM.
Anaheim enters play atop the Pacific Division and are tied in points with the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks while they also have two more regulation losses, meanwhile Pittsburgh enters play in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and second in the Metropolitan Division, just one point shy of the Washington Capitals for the division lead. Both teams are two of the best in the NHL but enter the game dealing with slumps.
The Ducks lost their third consecutive game Friday in a shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but the team played well.
"I thought our team played really well tonight," coach Bruce Boudreau told NHL.com after the loss. "They showed great character to allow that team 19 shots before overtime. I thought that was a pretty good commitment to defense. We lost in a shootout, but we played a good game."
Pittsburgh suffered its fourth loss in five games, losing 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils Saturday, as the skid has begun to frustrate the Penguins.
"At the end of the day, you've gotta score, but if you're getting chances, I mean, I don't know what you really change," captain Sidney Crosby said via NHL.com. "You try to go to the net just as much, work on those little things like stop at the net, get a screen, competing down at those areas. But ultimately, it's a matter of putting it in when you get a chance."
Crosby is tied for second in the NHL with 25 points and is tied for fourth with 16 assists while adding nine goals thus far this season. Along with Crosby at the forefront of the Pittsburgh offense is Evgeni Malkin, who has had a goal drought by only notching three tallies but has added 15 helpers for 18 points while Chris Kunitz has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points.
Corey Perry (12 goals, 11 assists) and Ryan Getzlaf (10 goals, 13 assists) each have 23 points for Anaheim and Getzlaf has lit the lamp four times and added three assists for seven points during the Ducks' three-game losing streak. Mathieu Perreault is third on the team with 14 points off of five goals and nine assists, but he's questionable tonight with the flu.
Through 12 starts between the pipes this season, Jonas Hiller is 7-3-1 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage while Marc-Andre Fleury has started 17 of the Penguins' 20 starts and put together an 11-6-0 record along with a 2.06 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
The Ducks and Penguins both look to end skids when the lights come on tonight at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
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