Preview: Ducks Wrap Up Homestand Tonight vs. Dallas

UPDATE: Ryan Getzlaf will miss his fourth consecutive game tonight vs. the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury.
The Ducks (21-13-8, 50 pts.) conclude a season-high five-game homestand tonight against the Dallas Stars (17-16-8, 42 pts.) at Honda Center (7 p.m. PT, Prime Ticket/AM 830). Through 42 games, the Ducks are three wins and seven points ahead of last year's pace (18-17-7, 43 pts. in 2015-16). Other comparables include goals for (111 this season to 80 last season), goals against (112 to 98), PP% (22.7 to 19.6), PK% (81.3 to 89.8) and FO% (55.4 to 52.0). Anaheim has earned standings points in seven of the past eight games (4-1-3) and eight of its past nine home games (7-1-1). In addition, Anaheim has won three of the first four games on this homestand, which has included victories over Philadelphia, Detroit and Arizona. Following tonight's game, the Ducks will depart for a two-game road trip that makes stops in Colorado on Thursday (5 p.m. PT) and Arizona on Saturday (5 p.m. PT).

Tonight's contest wraps up a three-game season series between the Ducks and Stars. Dallas has won the first two games of the series played at American Airlines Center, including a 4-2 win on October 13 in the season opener and a 6-2 victory on December 13. The Ducks own an all-time record of 43-64-11 vs. the Stars (27-27-4 at home) and are led in all-time scoring (among active skaters) by Ryan Getzlaf's 43 points (9g/34a) in 54 games. In Anaheim, the Ducks have won two straight games over the Stars and three of the past four dating to Oct. 20, 2013.
The Ducks saw their three-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday night after a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Honda Center despite opening the scoring with Ryan Kesler's first-period goal. A lackluster middle frame ultimately proved costly as the Wild potted consecutive goals from Matt Dumba (power play) and Jared Spurgeon within a two-minute span, and held off a surge from the Ducks in the third period which included a point-blank chance by Kesler in the dying seconds. A power play that was once fluid has now run dry, as the Ducks enter tonight's game without a power-play goal in their past five games.
Dallas concludes a brief West Coast road trip tonight in the second-half of back-to-backs that began last night with a wildly entertaining 6-4 victory over the LA Kings at Staples Center. The win pulled the Stars to within two points of a playoff spot currently held by the Kings in the second wild-card spot. Last night both clubs combined for five goals in a 5:28 span in the third period, and it was Jiri Hudler's first goal as a Star (in his 16th game) that ultimately held up as the game winner. Both teams also swapped out their starting goaltenders in the final period - something you don't see too often. Dallas enters tonight's game with an 8-2-2 record vs. the Pacific Division this season.
Although the Stars made it safely to LAX on Sunday afternoon, the team charter had to make an emergency landing in St. Louis shortly after takeoff because of an electrical issue. The team and its staff had to wait for a new plane before eventually touching down in LA.