(SportsNetwork.com) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to avoid their longest losing streak in nearly three months when they continue a road trip with Tuesday's battle against the Florida Panthers.
Anaheim has lost consecutive games since beating Nashville to begin a five- game swing. The Ducks, who hold a double-digit lead atop the Pacific Division, haven't dropped three in a row since an 0-1-2 slide from Nov. 15-18.
The Ducks fell in a shootout decision to Washington on Friday and then lost Sunday in Tampa by a 5-3 count. Making matters worse, Anaheim goaltender Frederik Andersen was forced to leave Sunday's game with a head injury after the net fell on top of him in the third period.
Andersen is considered day-to-day, but if he can't start tonight the Ducks will likely turn to backup Ilya Bryzgalov as the starter. If Andersen is unable to even suit up as the backup then Anaheim may have to recall John Gibson from Norfolk of the American Hockey League.
The Lightning blitzed Anaheim with three first-period goals and held on for the victory.
Andersen allowed all five Lightning goals on 22 shots before exiting the game just over 10 minutes into the third period.
Ryan Getzlaf was credited with his 200th NHL goal, and Sami Vatanen and Eric Brewer also scored for Anaheim, which fell to 1-1-1 on a road trip that ends Thursday in Carolina.
"We just have to forget about this one and move on," said Ducks forward Nate Thompson. "We still have two more games left on this road trip. We just need to keep going from here."
Hampus Lindholm suffered a lower-body injury in the setback and the Ducks forward questionable for tonight.
Anaheim is 12 points ahead of Calgary and San Jose for first place in the Pacific Division and is one point behind Nashville for the top spot in the Western Conference and NHL standings.
Florida, meanwhile, finds itself six points out of a postseason berth in the East. The club hopes to bounce back tonight after having a two-game winning streak snapped with Sunday's shootout loss against the visiting Predators.
Filip Forsberg scored the decisive shootout goal after tying the game late in regulation, capping Nashville's 3-2 comeback victory.
Tomas Fleischmann and Aaron Ekblad had second-period goals for the Panthers, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead before allowing the Preds to storm back with a pair of power-play goals in the third.
Roberto Luongo stopped 23 shots in defeat.
"We all want to get that playoff spot," Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant said. "I thought we competed and deserved to get two points."
Florida's only playoff appearance over the last 13 seasons came in the spring of 2012 when it lost in the opening round to New Jersey.
The Panthers are 11-8-5 as the host this season and are capping a three-game homestand tonight.
Florida halted a three-game home losing streak in the series with the Ducks when it posted a 3-2 win on Nov. 12, 2013. The Panthers have claimed two of the past three meetings overall and notched a 6-2 blowout win when they visited Anaheim on Nov. 16.
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