By ,
Published January 13, 2015
(SportsNetwork.com) - The red-hot Anaheim Ducks will shoot for a sixth consecutive victory when they visit the sliding Detroit Red Wings for Tuesday's encounter at Joe Louis Arena.
Anaheim, which is leading the Pacific Division with 51 points, has surrendered two goals or less in each win during its current five-game tear. Another victory on Tuesday would leave the Ducks one shy of a season-best seven-game winning streak from Oct. 5-20.
The Ducks recently wrapped a three-game homestand with a perfect 3-0 mark, beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in regulation on Sunday. The Ducks boast a 13-0-2 record on home ice this season and they'll try to improve a 10-7-3 road mark during a four-game swing that begins tonight in the Motor City.
Anaheim has not fared well in Detroit over the years, but the Ducks were able to halt an eight-game losing streak at Joe Louis Arena when they recorded a 5-2 rout against the Red Wings on Feb. 15 of last season. It was just the second win for the Ducks in the last 19 road matchups against Detroit and their second victory in the past seven meetings overall.
The Ducks used a third-period goal from Dustin Penner to pick up Sunday's win over the visiting Oilers. Penner's 10th goal of the season came with 3:17 left in regulation and Anaheim held on for the win from there.
"We played a lot more desperate after they tied it up," Penner said. "I think all four lines started going, especially our line."
Teemu Selanne and Nick Bonino also lit the lamp and Jonas Hiller made 23 saves for the win.
Selanne ended a 19-game goal drought with his fourth goal of the season. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer has just eight points in 27 games during what he's said will be his final NHL campaign.
Detroit hopes to end its second-longest losing streak of the season on Tuesday. The Red Wings have lost five straight, going 0-3-2 during the slide, which trails only a seven-game drought (0-2-5) from Nov. 4-19.
The Red Wings have managed to score only five goals during their current slide and none of them came in Sunday's 3-0 home loss against Tampa Bay. Ben Bishop stopped all 28 shots sent his way by Detroit, which fell to 5-8-6 at the Joe this season. The Wings are 0-2-0 on a four-game homestand that is set to end Thursday night against Calgary.
"We're not scoring as a group right now at all," said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. "So we have to continue to check real well and not give up much. I thought it was a tight game both ways. We've got to find a way to win a game."
Petr Mrazek made his second start of the season for the Red Wings, and the netminder stopped 24 shots in the loss. With regular No. 1 goalie Jimmy Howard sidelined with a sprained MCL, Jonas Gustavsson could get the call in net tonight. Gustavsson is 2-0 with a 2.53 goals against average in his career against the Ducks.
Detroit, which also is currently without captain Henrik Zetterberg, will not have forward Johan Franzen tonight due to a concussion suffered in Sunday's loss to the Lightning.
Riley Sheahan, a first-round draft pick by the Red Wings in 2010, has been recalled from Detroit's AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids to take Franzen's spot. Sheahan has gone scoreless in two games at the NHL level, but this will be his first tilt with the big club this season. Sheahan has six goals and eight assists in 23 games for the Griffins in 2013-14.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/streaking-ducks-shoot-for-rare-victory-in-detroit