• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Sliding Ducks welcome Canucks to town

Nov 11, 2011 - 4:12 PM (Sports Network) - After a solid start to the season, the Ducks are in danger of posting their longest losing streak in six years. Having to go up against the Canucks' suddenly-blazing power play is probably the last thing the slumping club wants to do.

Nonetheless, Anaheim tries to break out of its current skid this evening against Vancouver, which closes out a six-game road trip at the Honda Center.

The Ducks opened up the season with four victories in five games, but have posted just a 1-6-3 record since to fall into last place in the Pacific Division. They are 0-4-2 on their current six-game slide and another setback tonight would give the franchise its longest skid since an eight-game losing streak from Nov. 3-20, 2005.

Anaheim fell behind early to Nashville last time out on Wednesday, yielding a pair of goals 4:54 into the game, and never recovered en route to a 4-2 defeat. The loss came in the opening of a span that sees the Ducks play 11 of 13 at home and travel no further than Phoenix on Nov. 23.

"We dug ourselves a hole," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "They got two shots on net and it was 2-0. That's a mountain you have to climb. We were able to for parts of the game get back into it with our work ethic and our grit and determination, but it just seemed we couldn't put one across the goal line at an opportune time."

Cam Fowler and Francois Beauchemin each lit the lamp for the Ducks, who got 28 saves from Jonas Hiller and fell to 3-3-0 as the host this season.

"We're in a funk right now. It's up to us to battle and try to get out of it," Fowler said.

Staying out of the penalty box would help. After netting five power-play goals in six chances on Sunday versus Chicago, Vancouver scored twice on the man advantage in last night's 3-2 victory at Los Angeles.

Sami Salo and Andrew Ebbett scored power-play goals just 42 seconds apart during a three-goal first period. Already up a man after Kings forward Trevor Lewis was handed a five-minute elbowing major, Los Angeles' Drew Doughty was sent to the box for cross-checking Ryan Kesler.

Salo capitalized during the 5-on-3 before Ebbett struck.

"The way the game unfolded with us getting an early five-minute power play and then following it up with an undisciplined penalty on Ryan Kesler, we were able to make them pay," said Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault.

Defenseman Aaron Rome capped the first-period scoring with his second goal in as many games this year after missing the start of the season with a broken finger. Rome's two goals this year have doubled his career total.

"It's been good. It's been clicking," Rome said of the power play. "We've talked about making the other team pay when they take penalties, so it's been good for us."

Roberto Luongo made 28 saves to earn the win and Daniel Sedin added two assists as the Canucks moved to 3-2-0 on their road trip. Sedin is second in the NHL with 20 points.

Luongo, who is likely to get a rest tonight in favor of Cory Schneider given the back-to-back games on consecutive nights, said after Thursday's win that the Canucks can't take the Ducks lightly despite their struggles.

"It's a big game for us," Luongo said. "It would be a nice way to cap off the road trip, but we know it's not going to be an easy game going in there. We can't take things for granted. We've got to come out strong and have a good start like we did tonight."

The Canucks and Ducks have split their last 12 meetings.