Just two games on a quiet Sunday in the NHL

After an action-packed, 13-game schedule on Saturday night, the NHL cools down on Sunday, with just two games on tap.

In a meeting of East vs. West, the New York Rangers -- who were idle on Saturday -- will host the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden at 5 p.m. ET. The Blueshirts are off to a solid start to the new season, winning three of their first four games, including Thursday's 4-3 victory at Washington.

Sunday should mark the return of pesky forward Sean Avery, who sprained his right knee during a practice in late September. Avery had 12 points in 19 games for the Blueshirts last season after being claimed off re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars.

Anaheim will need to find its legs quickly after Saturday's 3-2 shootout win at Philadelphia. The Ducks forced overtime by erasing a 2-0 deficit late in the third period on a pair of goals by Teemu Selanne, who then scored the only goal in the shootout.

Later on Sunday, a Western Conference showdown takes place in Vancouver, where the Canucks will host the Dallas Stars in a 10 p.m. ET start.

Vancouver experienced a rough beginning to the new season, dropping its first three games behind some shaky goaltending from captain Roberto Luongo. But the Canucks bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night, trouncing the Montreal Canadiens 7-1 at General Motors Place.

Dallas has at least a point in all three of its games. The Stars (1-0-2) dropped their first two in shootouts but are coming off a solid 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Friday. Alex Auld made 21 saves for Dallas, while Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards each had a goal and an assist.

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