With victories in six of their last seven games (6-1-0) and in eight of their last 10 (8-2-0), the Ducks have maintained pace with the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks for the top-three spots in the Pacific Division. Entering tonight's game with 37 points, the Ducks (third place) are tied in points with the Sharks and three points behind the first-place Flames in the Pacific. The Ducks also sit one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers (first wild card) and two up on the Vegas Golden Knights. Though we haven't reached the midway point of the season, every point matters especially when you're dealing with injuries to key players.
The Ducks certainly know what it's like to play with a depleted lineup, and yesterday they were dealt another blow when it was announced goaltender Ryan Miller has a sprained MCL and forward Rickard Rakell has a sprained ankle. Miller will be evaluated in two weeks, but it's estimated he will be out for approximately six weeks. As of now, there is no timetable for Rakell.
"You feel bad for the guy(s) going through it, but as a team, and an individual, you have to get yourself ready to play," said Andrew Cogliano. "[Miller] has been around a while. You feel bad for him. It's tough for goalies when guys are coming in, but you have to keep moving on. With Rakell, we miss his offense and his skill. We need him in the lineup to make our team better. We need guys to carry the load. With six games until Christmas, we have make sure we play as well as we can."
In a related move, the Ducks claimed goaltender Chad Johnson off waivers from the St. Louis Blues yesterday. The 32-year-old netminder has an 80-67-15 record with eight shutouts, a 2.69 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 183 career NHL games with the New York Rangers (2009-11), Phoenix Coyotes (2012-13), Boston Bruins (2013-14), New York Islanders (2014-15), Buffalo Sabres (2015-16, 2017-18), Calgary Flames (2016-17) and St. Louis (2018-19).
Tonight's matchup concludes the three-game season series between the two clubs, which has been all Dallas thus far. They've gone 2-0 against the Ducks this season, both victories at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The good news for the Ducks is tonight's game is on home ice where they've won a franchise-best five straight against the Stars dating to Jan. 15, 2016. Ryan Getzlaf leads active Ducks in scoring against the Stars with 52 points (14g/38a) in 60 career games. Getzlaf also has 12 points (3g/9a) in his last seven home games against Dallas.
The Stars come in with a 16-11-3 record and 35 points, good for the second wild card spot (fourth place in the Central Division). They've gone 5-4-1 over their last 10 games, but haven't played since Sunday, a 4-2 loss in Vegas. Veteran forward Martin Hanzal scored in the loss against the Golden Knights, his first point since returning to the lineup after undergoing spinal fusion surgery last March. The 31-year-old Pisek, Czech Republic native made his season debut on December 7 vs. San Jose.
Tyler Seguin leads the Stars in assists (18), points (26) and plus-minus (+10), and co-leads in power-play points (7). Stars captain Jamie Benn paces the club in goals (12) and power-play goals (6), and ranks second in points (24). Ben Bishop enters tonight's game with a 10-6-1 record, 2.28 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts in 18 appearances this season.
