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Sharks look to gain ground on first-place Ducks

Feb 26, 2007 - 3:30 PM Anaheim (36-17-10) at San Jose (38-23-1) 10:00 pm EST

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Jonathan Cheechoo has feasted on the Anaheim Ducks over the last 1 1/2 seasons. The San Jose Sharks hope that will be the case again on Monday.

Cheechoo recorded three of his five hat tricks last season against the Ducks en route to winning the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal-scorer. He netted 10 of his 56 tallies in the eight-game season series vs. Anaheim.

The 26-year-old Cheechoo remains a Duck-killer, tallying five times in the first five meetings between the teams this season, including consecutive two-goal efforts on February 6-7.

San Jose, which trails first-place Anaheim by five points, is hoping the All-Star remains hot against the Ducks, who enter Monday with a 3-2-0 mark in this season's series. Captain Patrick Marleau is the only other Shark with multiple goals in the five contests with three.

Conversely, five Ducks have scored more than once vs. the Sharks this season. Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Penner each have three tallies, while Travis Moen and Corey Perry have two apiece.

Anaheim ended a three-game losing streak Sunday with a 5-3 victory over Colorado. Andy McDonald recorded his third two-goal performance of the campaign, while former Norris Trophy winners Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger scored late in the third period to give the Ducks just their third win in nine games.

The Sharks also have struggled of late, losing four of their last six, including a 7-4 setback against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. During those six contests, San Jose has scored a total of just 10 goals.