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Ducks-Kings Preview

Jan 14, 2010 - 7:16 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Anaheim (21-19-7) at Los Angeles (25-18-3), 10:30 p.m. EDT

The Anaheim Ducks began their current winning streak without Teemu Selanne. Now, they'll be forced to try and keep it going minus their star forward.

The visiting Ducks will be without Selanne Thursday night when they look to extend their season-high winning streak to six games while trying to avoid a fourth straight loss to the struggling Los Angeles Kings.

Selanne had scored in each of his first two games back after missing 17 with a broken hand, but he suffered a fractured jaw in a 4-3 home win over Boston on Wednesday. The 10-time All-Star and Finnish Olympian was struck by a puck that deflected off the stick of the Bruins' Miroslav Satan with 8:29 left.

"We'll have to see if it can be surgically repaired (Thursday) and what kind of time frame they're going to give us," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said of the 39-year-old Selanne. "It's a tough loss, especially the way it happened. We know how much he loves to play the game. It's unfortunate for him and unfortunate for us. We were just starting to get some bodies back in our lineup and get our likes settled, but that's just the way it goes. Injuries are part of it."

Though Anaheim (21-19-7) started its current winning streak by scoring eight goals in two games without Selanne, his return Saturday provided a spark for a club that's now trying to win six in a row for the first time since Feb. 17-March 3, 2008.

Selanne, however, isn't the only one playing well. Ryan Getzlaf scored his 100th career goal, and second in three games, and rookie Matt Beleskey added his fourth in five contests on Wednesday. Anaheim has outscored its opponents 18-9 during its five-game run.

Getzlaf, who leads the Ducks with 33 assists, has nine to go along with a goal in his last six games against Los Angeles.

Jonas Hiller, meanwhile, made 27 saves against the Bruins to improve to 17-12-2 with a 2.73 goals-against average his season. Hiller has started every game during the Ducks' winning stretch, and is 4-3-0 with a 1.82 GAA all-time against the Kings, but lost his second straight start to Los Angeles after making 38 saves in the Ducks' 4-3 home defeat Dec. 1.

If Jean-Sebastien Giguere gets the call in net, he will try to snap a four-game losing streak. He's 17-11-4 with three ties and a 2.80 GAA versus the Kings.

The Ducks might be playing well enough to halt a three-game losing streak to their Pacific Division rivals, in which each contest ended with a 4-3 score.

The Kings, however, will look to avoid their fourth straight loss after falling to 0-3 on a seven-game homestand with a 2-1 setback to San Jose on Monday. Randy Jones scored for Los Angeles (25-18-3), which has lost eight of 12 and totaled five goals while dropping each of its last three games by one goal.

"As of late, it's been really tough for us to find goals, even if we're getting the chances," said captain Dustin Brown, who has one goal and one assist in his last eight contests. "We've got to try to stay positive, though. It does no good to be negative at this point in the year."

Jones had a goal and an assist in the Kings' victory over Anaheim last month.

After getting the night off Monday, starter Jon Quick is likely to be back in goal despite losing his last two starts. Quick is 23-15-3 with a 2.60 GAA this season, and 3-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA all-time versus Anaheim.