Jonas Hiller looks to continue dominance over Coyotes

The Anaheim Ducks look to continue their hot streak tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com in Glendale, Arizona.

Key tonight to the victory, as it has been throughout the season is the play of goaltender Jonas Hiller – who gets the nod in net over rookie John Gibson.

Hiller has been arguably the hottest goalie in the league the last month, in the process earning one of the three stars of the month in December.

For as good as Hiller has been this season, he has been even better against the Coyotes. He has registered more wins in his career against Phoenix than he has against any other team (19).

This season has seen the 31-year old go 4-0 this year against the Coyotes, with a 1.96 GAA and a .937 save percentage. That far exceeds his numbers of 2.45 and .921 over his career.

Hiller is a career 19-6-3 in 29-games played this season. This meeting will be the last meeting between the two teams, with the Ducks having the opportunity to sweep the season series.

Selanne Out, Silfverberg and Penner Back In

Teemu Selanne will continue the trend of sitting out one game of a team’s back-to-back games, as he will be a no go tonight. Taking his place in the lineup will be Jakob Silfverberg, who sat out last game as a healthy scratch.

Dustin Penner will also be plugged back in the lineup, as he is a go as well. Penner missed last game with an upper-body injury.

No Gibson This Weekend?

As soon as goaltending prospect John Gibson was recalled from Norfolk, people – especially me – were wondering when he would make his debut. With back-to-back games, it was safe to presume that he would get at least one of those starts.

But now we may have to wait longer. Bruce Boudreau said he will look at playing Hiller both nights, depending on how his goaltender feels after the Coyotes game.

Anthony is the Editor at Pucks of a Feather. You can reach him by email amurphy540@pullinamurph.com or follow him on Twitter @AMurphyTFC.