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Streaking Ducks host Canucks in Pacific showdown

Nov 10, 2013 - 4:07 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The rolling Anaheim Ducks will aim for a fifth straight victory on Sunday, when they welcome the Vancouver Canucks for a Pacific Division battle at the Honda Center.

Anaheim enters Sunday leading the NHL with 29 points thanks to a stellar 14-3-1 record. The Ducks picked up a fourth straight win in Friday's rout of the visiting Buffalo Sabres and stayed perfect on home ice this season with a 7-0-0 record in Orange County.

Ryan Getzlaf recorded his first career hat trick to lead the way in Friday's 6-2 blowout win over the Sabres. The centerman notched goals No. 8, 9 and 10 of the season in the easy victory and also added an assist.

"You could tell, as soon as he started his skating, that Ryan was great. When we got the power-play goal early, it was because he did something he doesn't normally do, which is jump right into the play after a shot. As soon as he did that, I said 'Ok, he's going to have a good game.' Consequently, he got four points in the first period," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau.

Dustin Penner added a goal and three assists, while Cam Fowler and Andrew Cogliano both scored as well for the Ducks, who also improved to 7-0-1 over their past eight trips to the ice.

Rookie netminder Frederik Andersen stopped 25-of-27 shots for his fifth win in as many starts. Jonas Hiller expects to get the start on Sunday and is 10-5-3 with a 3.03 goals against average in 19 career outings against the Canucks.

The Ducks are closing a three-game homestand on Sunday before heading out on a four-game road trip. The swing is set to begin Tuesday at Florida.

Sunday's tilt is the first of five scheduled meetings between the Ducks and Canucks this season. The clubs are now in the same division thanks to the onset of realignment.

Vancouver and Anaheim have alternated wins and losses over the last 11 meetings in this series, with the Ducks winning six times during that stretch. The Canucks have claimed two straight and three of the past four tilts at the Honda Center.

Vancouver will try to bounce back from a rough loss after taking a 5-1 beating Saturday night in Los Angeles. The hometown Kings led 2-0 after the first period and were leading by the final 5-1 margin midway through the second.

Dan Hamhuis scored the lone goal for Vancouver with Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler picking up the helpers. It was the second loss in three games for the Canucks and their third setback in five trips to the ice.

Roberto Luongo was chased from the net after allowing four goals on 18 shots. Eddie Lack stopped 13-of-14 shots in relief.

"I thought in the first two periods we had surges early, but couldn't score. It's a 5-1 game and you think you got spanked, but I thought (Kings goaltender Jonathan) Quick made some really important saves at key times. We had some breakdowns, and it's in the back of our net," said Vancouver head coach John Tortorella.

Despite Saturday's loss, the Canucks still boast a solid 7-3-2 record on the road this season. The club is completing a four-game road trip tonight and will begin a six-game homestand with Thursday's showdown against San Jose.