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Ducks try for club-best 8th straight win vs. Carlyle's Leafs

Oct 22, 2013 - 3:02 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to secure the longest winning streak in franchise history when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for Tuesday's battle at Air Canada Centre.

The Ducks are the hottest team in the NHL at the moment, having tied a club record with seven straight wins since opening the season with a blowout loss at Colorado. Another victory on Tuesday would break a tie for the best win streak in franchise history. The original mark was set from Feb. 20-March 7, 1999.

Anaheim rallied for its most recent victory, overcoming an early 3-1 deficit to defeat the visiting Dallas Stars by a 6-3 score on Sunday. Corey Perry potted back-to-back goals in the second period to spark a string of five unanswered goals for the Ducks.

Emerson Etem tallied the go-ahead goal late in the second before Ryan Getzlaf, who added three assists, and Mathieu Perreault each lit the lamp in the third to cap the rally for the Ducks, who improved to 5-0 at home.

"They showed true leadership," Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau said of Perry and Getzlaf. "They took it upon themselves early in the second period when we were pretty flat, and needing to get going."

Jonas Hiller allowed three goals on 12 shots in the first before being removed in favor of Frederik Andersen, who stopped all 24 shots he faced over the final 40 minutes. Hiller expects to get the start on Tuesday, but he is 0-3-0 with a 5.05 goals against average in three career games against Toronto.

The Ducks hope they can stay hot on the road, as the club is beginning its longest trip of the season on Tuesday. Anaheim will play eight straight away from Orange County and won't get another home date until facing Phoenix on Nov. 6.

Anaheim forward Dustin Penner isn't expected to be available at the start of the road trip after suffering a head injury in Sunday's game. Penner was injured after absorbing a leaping hit from Ryan Garbutt of the Stars and is out indefinitely.

The Maple Leafs have lost their last two games, giving the 6-3-0 club its first skid of the season. Toronto lost Thursday to visiting Carolina before dropping Saturday's decision in Chicago.

Toronto never led in Saturday's 3-1 loss in the Windy City. All four goals in the game were scored in the second period with Chicago receiving markers from Bryan Bickell, Michael Kostka and Brandon Pirri in the win.

Nazem Kadri tied the game briefly at 1-1 for the Maple Leafs, while Jonathan Bernier gave up three goals on 40 shots.

"They play a pretty high-tempo game and we didn't seem to be able to keep the pace up until the third period," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said.

Carlyle will face his former team for the first time on Tuesday. He spent six- plus seasons as head coach of Anaheim and helped the team win a Stanley Cup in 2007. Carlyle, who has been Toronto's bench boss since March of 2012, was fired 24 games into the 2011-12 season by Anaheim and replaced by Bruce Boudreau.

Toronto hopes David Clarkson can help the club avoid its first three-game slide of the season on Tuesday. Clarkson is set to make his regular season debut for the Leafs after serving a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a brawl in a preseason game against Buffalo.

Clarkson earned a big payday this summer after inking a seven-year, $36.75 million contract with the Leafs. The 29-year-old reached the 30-goal plateau with New Jersey in 2011-12 and had 15 goals for the Devils in the shortened season in 2013.

The Leafs could start Bernier again on Tuesday. James Reimer hasn't played since he was forced to leave Thursday's game against Carolina after taking a hit to the head in a collision with teammate Josh Leivo. However, Reimer was able to serve as the backup to Bernier on Saturday.

Toronto has won three straight and four of the last six meetings against the Ducks, who have lost in five of their last six trips to Air Canada Centre.