Mar 14, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa (5) defends against the Dallas Stars attack during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Ducks defeated the Stars 2-1 in the overtime shoot out. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas - The Anaheim Ducks look to rebound tonight against the division rival Dallas Stars. The Ducks are starting the first of a three game set, their second such set this  year. This is also a match-up between the two oldest players in the league (Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr)

Anaheim is coming off of a 2-1 OT loss yesterday to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In order for the Ducks to keep the pressure on the conference leading Chicago Blackhawks they need to take full advantage of the points.

The Stars are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings last night. Dallas is looking to stay above .500 at home this season and finish their 5-game home-stand on a strong note.

The puck will drop at 5:30 PST this evening.

Team Stats:

	Stats
35	GP	34
23	W	16
7	L	15
5	OT	3
51	P	35
0.729	P%	0.515
2.91	G/G	2.74
2.49	GA/G	3.00
22.1	PP%	19.4
78.3	PK%	82.1
27.6	S/G	26.8
28.0	SA/G	30.9
47.5	FO%	47.6

Season Head-to-Head Match-ups:

Projected Goalie Matchup:

Name	Viktor Fasth	Kari Lehtonen
GP	16	26
Wins	11	12
Losses	3	9
OTL	1	2
SO	2	1
GAA	2.27	2.60
Save %	.920	.919

Injury report:

Team	Player	Type
	Nick Bonino*	Lower Body
	Vernon Fiddler	DTD-Lower Body
	Ryan Garbutt	Upper Body

*On Injured Reserve

Team Records:

Anaheim Ducks: 23-7-5, 51 points (1st in the Pacific Division)
Dallas Stars: 16-15-3, 35 points (4th in the Pacific Division)

Broadcast Info:

TV: Fox Sports-West
Radio: ESPN 830

Mar 14, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller (1) stops a shot by Dallas Stars left wing Loui Eriksson (21) during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Stars would get on the board midway through the 1st period as Ray Whitney would roof the puck top shelf over Jonas Hiller‘s shoulder.  That goal would hold until a third of the way into the 2nd period when Andrew Cogliano would pick up his own rebound in front of Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen, shifting it past his leg and into the net.

Despite both teams getting numerous powerplay opportunities, (6 for Dallas, 4 for Anaheim), neither team would convert and the game would move into overtime.  Yet again neither team was able to convert and both team would pick up a point, with a shootout to determine who would pick up the 2nd.

Anaheim would shoot first and Bobby Ryan looked Patrick Kane-esque as he moved to the backhand and lifted the puck up, rolling it over Lehtonen’s shoulder.  Loui Erikson would miss his attempt on Jonas Hiller and Teemu Selanne would not convert on his shootout opportunity.  Ryan Getzlaf was then given the chance to convert and would pull a great lateral move in front of the net, forcing Lehtonen to attempt to keep up with his quick hands, and would then tap it home safely into the net.

Shootout Attempts

Shot
1
2
3		N/A

This marks the 5th win in a row for Anaheim who, (with the additional 2 points), move to 13 points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division.  The Ducks remain at 2nd in the NHL and in the Conference, 4 points behind Chicago, (who also won in a shootout tonight), but really, what matters is that the Ducks are 13 points ahead of the Kings, (could anything make a Ducks’ fan happier?).

Kudos to Jonas Hiller who has returned to form and has carried the Ducks in the last two games.  Let’s hope he can continue to play at such a level until the team is fully healthy and Corey Perry has returned from suspension.  The Ducks aren’t the same team without Bonino, Fasth, and especially Perry.  Lines were obviously struggling to adjust tonight but hopefully the Ducks will be able to sort things out before their next game on Saturday in St. Louis where Ducks fans everywhere can hope for both another win, and the return of Bonino and Fasth, (sadly we still have 3 games to go on Perry).

13 points ahead of the Kings!