Preview: Ducks Prepare to Host First Place Avalanche at Honda Center

The Ducks officially move past the halfway point of the 2021-22 NHL season tonight, hosting the Colorado Avalanche at Honda Center (7 p.m.; TV: TNT; Radio: AM830 KLAA).
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Amidst a challenging midseason stretch that has seen a rotating lineup navigating COVID-19 protocols and an inconsistent level of play, the Ducks look to right the ship on home ice, where they've enjoyed plenty of success this season. Anaheim is 12-6-4 at Honda Center, but just 7-9-3 on the road.
The back-to-back losses in Minnesota and Chicago dropped Anaheim to 2-5-1 since the NHL's holiday break. The Ducks are currently tied for second in the Pacific Division in points (19-15-7, 45 points), but fifth by point percentage (.549).
Anaheim expects to get back one of its two NHL All-Stars tonight as netminder John Gibson has practiced each of the past two days.
Gibson will make his third All-Star appearance
and currently ranks sixth among NHL netminders in saves (794) and minutes played (1635).
In his last four starts, Gibson has a 2.25 GAA and .938 SV%. Anaheim went 1-4-0 in his absence, despite strong performances by Anthony Stolarz and Lukas Dostal.
The Ducks other
newly-named All-Star
, Troy Terry, remains in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, alongside Simon Benoit, Cam Fowler, Anthony Stolarz, Josh Manson and two Ducks coaches.
Terry was awarded the last spot on the Pacific Division's All-Star roster as the winner of the NHL's Last Men In fan vote. The 24-year-old winger has 22-14=36 points in 38 games this season and has already set career highs in scoring, goals and assists.

Colorado makes its lone trip of the season to Anaheim tonight to cap a three-game season series. The Avs won both meetings between the clubs at Ball Arena in Denver, outscoring Anaheim 9-4 in those games.
Despite holding multiple games-in-hand on most of its competitors, the Avalanche sit atop the Western Conference in points (25-8-3) and point percentage (.736), firmly establishing themselves as a Stanley Cup contender at the season's halfway point.
Colorado boasts the league's most potent offense, one of two clubs to average more than four goals per game (4.25). The Avs have not been held to under four goals since a Dec. 16 loss to Nashville.
The Avalanche will also have their own contigent representing the club at next month's All-Star Game, including one of the league's best players in Nathan MacKinnon, explosive defenseman Cale Makar, Central Division fan vote winner Nazem Kadri and head coach Jared Bednar.