At the Rink: Ducks at Rangers

NEW YORK -- Since April is a relatively slow month for the Anaheim Ducks until the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, they're treating their five-game road trip, which starts Sunday at Madison Square Garden, as their prelude to the playoffs.

The Ducks play the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils over the next eight nights. They finish the regular season with four games in 11 days in April, all against teams that are currently outside of the playoff races.

Anaheim is first in the Pacific Division and with 99 points through 73 games. The Ducks will become the first team to 100 points this season with a win or overtime/shootout loss Sunday.

"I think the schedule is set up in our benefit," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "This is going to be a tough week that kind of gets you ready for that playoff mentality where you've gotta play every other night and no matter what happens you've gotta get better. Win or lose you turn the page, you keep moving. I think that's our preparation going into this week."

The plan for coach Bruce Boudreau is to evaluate his team during this five-game road trip and then go to work in April to fine tune everything before the playoffs begin. What the Ducks work on in April will be based off of what they do or don't do well in the next five games.

He also said it'll be important to gather more information on some of the Ducks newer players, including defensemen James Wisniewski and Simon Despres as well as forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Jiri Sekac, before spending time in practice next month with them.

"You can go back and touch on everything," Boudreau said. "Stuff we've had to do by video with the new guys, we can get into a practice with reenactments of what is supposed to happen. Obviously we'd like to win every game but we will be basing a lot of the stuff next week on our deficiencies this week."

The first test on this road trip is the toughest for the Ducks. The Rangers are 16-3-3 in their past 22 games, all without goalie Henrik Lundqvist. New York has allowed nine goals in its past nine games. The Rangers also beat Anaheim 4-1 at Honda Center on Jan. 7.

"They don't allow anybody to score," Boudreau said. "It's not right."

Boudreau said the Rangers are the fastest team the Ducks have played this season.

"We were sort of like, 'Whoa, this team is fast,' " Boudreau said, referencing Anaheim's first game against the Rangers this season. "They play fast. You know they're well coached, and they're four lines deep. It's a real challenge for us."

The Rangers did not hold a morning skate after winning 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. Talbot is expected to make his 21st start in absence of Lundqvist, who is still out with a vascular injury.

Lundqvist was cleared to practice last Tuesday, but has not participated in one yet. The Rangers' only scheduled practice since he was cleared was Friday, but Lundqvist missed it to be with his wife, Therese, who gave birth to couple's second child.

The Rangers have been winning in spite of the fact that haven't scored more than two goals in any their previous four games and have as many as three goals in just one of their past eight games.

Some of the Rangers' top-six forwards have gone particularly cold, including center Derek Stepan, who has no points in his past 12 games. Rick Nash, who is third in the NHL with 39 goals, has no points in the past five games. Derick Brassard has one point, an assist against Carolina, in the past five games. Chris Kreider has two points in the past eight games.

Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh has no points in the past six games and just two points in the past 15. Keith Yandle has one point, a goal, in nine games since he was acquired in a trade from the Arizona Coyotes on March 2.

"They don't need a lot of goals to win games," Boudreau said. "They've got guys who haven't scored the way they're used to scoring but they still win. They've got Lundqvist out, Marty [St. Louis] out, Kevin Klein out -- some major players out and they're still winning games all the time."

Here are the projected lineups:

DUCKS

Patrick Maroon - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry

Emerson Etem - Ryan Kesler - Kyle Palmieri

Andrew Cogliano - Nate Thompson - Jakob Silfverberg

Tomas Fleischmann - Rickard Rakell - Jiri Sekac

Cam Fowler - James Wisniewski

Hampus Lindholm - Francois Beauchemin

Clayton Stoner - Sami Vatanen

Frederik Andersen

John Gibson

Scratched: Matt Beleskey, Korbinian Holzer, Simon Despres, Chris Wagner

Injured: Tim Jackman (lower body)

RANGERS

Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Rick Nash

J.T. Miller - Derick Brassard - Mats Zuccarello

Carl Hagelin - Kevin Hayes - Jesper Fast

Tanner Glass - Dominic Moore - James Sheppard

Marc Staal - Ryan McDonagh

Keith Yandle - Dan Girardi

Matt Hunwick - Dan Boyle

Cam Talbot

Mackenzie Skapski

Scratched: none

Injured: Henrik Lundqvist (neck), Martin St. Louis (lower body), Kevin Klein (upper body)

Status report: Stoner and Etem are in the Ducks' lineup after being scratched in Anaheim's 3-2 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. They are taking the place of Beleskey and Despres. Beleskey has no points in four games since returning from a shoulder injury. "It's tough choices, but they're all playing good right now so as long as we can continue all playing good then we'll maneuver guys in and out of the lineup as it goes," Boudreau said. … Boudreau said the Ducks recalled Chris Wagner from Norfolk of the American Hockey League. He will be scratched.

Who's hot: Sekac and Rakell each had a goal and an assist in Anaheim's 3-2 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Kesler has points past five games and Silfverberg has four points in the past four games.