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Ducks take on Canadiens in matchup of top clubs

Mar 4, 2015 - 3:49 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Anaheim Ducks look to secure a fourth victory in a row on Wednesday night as they play host to the Montreal Canadiens in a matchup of top teams in their respective conference.

The Ducks were in action on Tuesday night and secured a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes thanks to Andrew Cogliano's two goals and 29 saves by Frederik Andersen. That win gave Anaheim 89 points on the season, tied with the Nashville Predators for the most in the NHL.

The Montreal Canadiens, who lead the Atlantic Division by three points, are just two points off that pace despite having a four-game win streak snapped with Monday's loss to the San Jose Sharks.

Anaheim has a solid 14-point edge over the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Pacific Division following Tuesday night's win, with Jakob Silfverberg adding a goal and two assists and Ryan Kesler scoring.

"This is the team that has to do it. We look good on paper, but we have to put it down. Tonight was a good first step," Silfverberg said.

Andersen, meanwhile, matched an NHL record for the fastest goaltender to reach 50 career wins. He tied Bill Durnan's mark of 68 career decisions set in December of 1944.

Andersen was making his first appearance since suffering a neck injury on Feb. 8, with John Gibson having started each of the previous nine games. Gibson, 5-1-0 in his last six starts, could get the start again tonight.

The Canadiens look to rebound from Monday's 4-0 loss to the Sharks that came in the opener of a four-game road trip out west. Carey Price yielded all four goals on 37 shots faced, snapping his club-record 10-game road win streak.

Montreal acquired Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn in separate trades with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday for prospect Jack Nevins, a seventh-round draft pick in 2016 and a fifth-round pick in next year's draft. Also, the team acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a pair of picks in the 2015 draft.

Petry was able to make his Habs debut versus the Sharks, appearing in just over 18 minutes of action.

"I really liked what I saw. He skates very well. He makes a good first pass. He was involved in the play," head coach Michel Therrien told Montreal's website. "Under these circumstances, it was very tough for him to play, but I really liked what I saw from him out there."

Montreal also will visit the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday so it is unknown if Price or Dustin Tokarski will start tonight. Price is 1-3-1 with a 2.83 goals against average and .901 save percentage in six career meetings (5 starts) with the Ducks, while Tokarski beat them the only time he faced them by stopping 39-of-42 shots faced.

The Ducks have won six of their past nine versus the Canadiens, including a 2-1 win at Montreal on Dec. 18. Andersen made 23 saves, while Price yielded two goals on 23 shots faced.