• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ducks can clinch Pacific Division title

Apr 6, 2007 - 1:26 PM Anaheim (47-20-13) at Dallas (48-25-7) 8:30 pm EDT

DALLAS (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks can clinch the Pacific Division title with a win over the Dallas Stars on Friday.

Anaheim (47-20-13) has a one-point lead over San Jose (51-26-4) and has a game in hand on the Sharks.

The Ducks close the season at Columbus on Saturday while San Jose hosts Vancouver.

Dallas still has a shot at winning the Pacific, but hurt its chances with a 2-1 overtime loss at Columbus on Thursday.

Rick Nash scored 24 seconds into the overtime to deny the Stars an opportunity at gaining an extra point.

Dallas (48-25-7) is four points behind Anaheim and three behind San Jose. The Stars would win the tiebreaker over Anaheim, which goes to the team with the most wins.

Dallas is 10-3-1 in its last 14 games and will likely go with Marty Turco in goal Friday after using Mike Smith in Thursday's loss. Turco is 1-4 against the Ducks, including a 3-2 overtime loss in the last meeting between the teams on March 23.

Dallas' Mike Ribeiro has 11 points in his last six games. The return of captain Brenden Morrow, who missed more than two months with a wrist injury, has certainly helped Ribeiro.

"Since Brenden came back (from a wrist injury), I think we have been playing good together," Ribeiro said. "He is a complete player, he is a guy that can check and create some space on the corner. Since he is back we have been doing great. We have two games to get ready for the playoffs."