Preview: Ducks Finish Homestand with Niedermayer Jersey Retirement

The Ducks finish a three-game homestand against the Washington Capitals on a special night at Honda Center. Tonight, the Ducks will honor Scott Niedermayer for his Hall of Fame career with a pregame ceremony that will include the raising of his No. 27 jersey to the rafters. Fans attending the game are encouraged to be in their seats by 4 p.m. for the ceremony. Among those scheduled to attend are former Ducks Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Rob Niedermayer, J.S. Giguere, Chris Pronger, Todd Marchant, Francois Beauchemin, Travis Moen, Brad May, Kent Huskins and Jason Marshall. Niedermayer will become the third player to have his jersey retired by the Ducks, joining Selanne (2015) and Kariya (2018).

Tonight's contest concludes a two-game season series between the Ducks and Capitals, which opened with a dramatic 6-5 comeback victory for Anaheim on Dec. 2 at Capital One Arena. The comeback marked the first time in club history the Ducks rallied from four goals down to earn a win on the road (and the first such comeback victory in regulation). It also marked the first time a team (home or road) overcame such a deficit against a defending Stanley Cup champion. Former Ducks Pontus Aberg (two goals) and Andrew Cogliano scored, while Hampus Lindholm, Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell also added goals. The Ducks enter tonight's game with an 18-12-6 all-time record vs. the Capitals, along with an 8-6-3 mark at Honda Center.
The Capitals enter tonight's game with a 32-19-7 record (71 points), including a 15-10-2 mark on the road. Currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division, the Caps are in the midst of a six-game road trip that began on Tuesday with a 3-0 loss in Columbus. They rebounded on Thursday night with a 5-1 victory in San Jose, and have gone 5-3-2 over their last 10 games. They'll finish off a back-to-back set tomorrow night in LA before heading east for road games in Toronto (next Thursday) and Buffalo (Feb. 23).
It didn't take long for Alex Ovechkin to silence any doubters who thought he'd have a Stanley Cup hangover this season. Ovechkin leads the league with 39 goals and paces the Caps with 66 points. He recorded his 1,186th career point (645g/541a) against the LA Kings on Feb. 11, passing Rod Brind'Amour (452g/732a) for 48th place on the NHL's all-time points list. Ovechkin is on pace for his sixth career season with at least 90 points.