[43-27-12]
4
2
01/28/2014
FINAL
[54-20-8]
123T
MIN1124
33SHOTS33
26FACEOFFS32
21HITS25
8PIM12
1/5PP1/3
10GIVEAWAYS8
1TAKEAWAYS1
13BLOCKED SHOTS10
     

Back indoors, Ducks shoot for season sweep of Wild

Tuesday, 01.28.2014 / 4:19 PM

WILD (28-20-6) at DUCKS (39-10-5)

TV: FS-N, PRIME

Last 10: Minnesota 6-3-1; Anaheim 8-2-0

Season series: This is the third and final game of the season between the teams. Anaheim is 2-0 against Minnesota this season, winning 4-3 in overtime in St. Paul Oct. 5 and 2-1 at the Honda Center last month.

Big story: Coming off a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings in a 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game Saturday at Dodger Stadium, the Ducks will look to sweep Minnesota. After winning both games at the Honda Center two years ago, the Wild have lost three straight meetings in Anaheim.

Team Scope:

Wild: Minnesota had a chance to kick off its current four-game road trip in style Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. After taking a 2-0 lead early in the second period, the Sharks tied the game in a span of 49 seconds. The Wild got the game to overtime, earning an important point in the process, but missed an opportunity to get two in one of the NHL's toughest places to play. The Wild were once among the League's best teams in the faceoff circle, but coach Mike Yeo cited an inability to win draws as the main reason why the team didn't get the second point Saturday. San Jose had a 41-18 edge in the faceoff circle.

"You get a point in this building, it's probably not a bad thing, but you could see what was happening," Yeo said. "We spent the entire night chasing, and it's inevitable that you're going to end up on your heels and give them some momentum. We never started with the puck and that was the big story."

Ducks: Anaheim has won two in a row after losing in regulation for the first time at the Honda Center this season last Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. After getting pulled against the Jets, Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller pitched a 36-save shutout against the Kings at Dodger Stadium in perhaps his finest outing of the season.

"I got in the game early, and we did a really good job of clearing space so I could see shots," Hiller said.

"Hiller was so good [Saturday], I think halfway through the third, I said it doesn't matter, they're not going to beat him," coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Hiller's 24 wins this season are fifth in the NHL, although he's started fewer games than all four goaltenders in front of him.

Who's hot: With Mikko Koivu still out with a fractured ankle, Wild center Mikael Granlund has stepped up in his absence. The Wild are 8-3-1 since ending 2013 on a six-game losing streak. Over that span, Granlund has an assist in seven of those 12 games. … Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf has scored at least one point in nine of 10 games. After seeing his eight-game point streak snapped Thursday against the Kings, Getzlaf got back on track at Dodger Stadium, picking up an assist. Getzlaf's 35 assists and 60 points lead the Ducks. The 60 points are third-best in the NHL.

Injury report: For the Wild, Koivu (fractured ankle), defenseman Jared Spurgeon (foot) and goalie Josh Harding (illness) are on injured reserve. … Ducks goaltender Viktor Fasth (lower body inflammation), and defensemen Sheldon Souray (wrist) won't play.

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