This marks the halfway point of a season-tying five-game homestand for the Ducks, who have gone 2-0 thus far with victories over Pittsburgh and LA. Anaheim enters tonight's game with points in seven of its last nine games (6-2-1, 11 points) and victories in eight of its last 12 (8-3-1, 17 points).
Using home ice to their advantage, the Ducks have won a season-high four consecutive games at Honda Center and have gone 6-1-1 in their last eight at home dating to December 6 vs. Ottawa. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has five assists in his last four home games, Rickard Rakell has goals in four of his last five at Honda Center (six points, 5g/1a) and Jakob Silfverberg has points in five of his last six in Anaheim (six points, 2g/4a).
Their 2-1 victory on Friday against the Kings marked the return of left wing Andrew Cogliano, who was greeted by a wall of posters lining the glass during warmups. Many of the posters read "#831" in honor of his 831st game. Cogliano factored in on the club's go-ahead/game-winning goal at the 12:21 mark of the third period when he earned the secondary assist on Ryan Kesler's first GWG of the season.
This marks the tail end of a back-to-back set (and the sixth game in nine days) for the Sharks, who defeated the Penguins, 2-1, last night at SAP Center. The Sharks erased a 1-0 deficit with goals from Timo Meier in the first period and Tomas Hertl in the third. Backup goaltender Aaron Dell put forth a strong 31-save effort in the win while usual No. 1 netminder Martin Jones remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Dell, 30, has gone 11-3-2 with two shutouts this season and has yet to surrender more than two goals in consecutive appearances in his 38-game NHL career spanning two seasons. Dell, who is expected to get the start tonight, has yet to face the Ducks in his career.
Tonight's matchup represents the penultimate contest of a four-game season series between the Ducks and Sharks, and the first game held in Anaheim. The Ducks own an all-time record of 62-59-13 vs. the Sharks, having earned points in the last 10 meetings (7-0-3, 17 points) dating to Nov. 7, 2015. At home, the Ducks are 31-29-6 with points in four consecutive games (3-0-1) and seven of the last nine (6-2-1).
The 2017-18 season series has seen both clubs earn victories at SAP Center - a 2-1 shootout win for the Sharks on November 4 and a 3-2 shootout victory for the Ducks on November 20. Rakell (three points, 1g/2a) and Corey Perry (three points, 2g/1a) co-lead the Ducks in scoring vs. the Sharks in the first two games of the season series, while Getzlaf paces the team in career scoring against San Jose with 54 points (11g/43a) in 67 games. The series will conclude at Honda Center on Sunday, February 11.
