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Stars, Ducks to battle for Pacific supremacy

Jan 20, 2008 - 2:04 PM Anaheim (27-17-6) at Dallas (27-18-5) 3:30 pm EST

DALLAS (Ticker) - The Anaheim Ducks are once again beginning to resemble the team that won the Stanley Cup last June.

The Ducks will be looking to put some distance between themselves and their closest Pacific Division challengers when they visit the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Anaheim has won six straight games and is 12-2-2 since veteran defenseman Scott Niedermayer came out of retirement on December 16. Niedermayer - a key member of last season's championship team - has 11 points in 16 games and combines with Chris Pronger to form a fearsome tandem on the blue line.

Also stepping up of late has been veteran right wing Todd Bertuzzi, who has 12 points in the last six games - nearly doubling his season total to 27 points. He tallied two goals and an assist in Friday's 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

The Ducks recent run of success has lifted them to first place in the Pacific with 60 points, one point ahead of the Stars.

Dallas has recovered from a three-game slide to win its last two contests, including a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Brendan Morrow, Stu Barnes and Steve Ott tallied and backup goaltender Mike Smith stopped 29 of 30 shots.

Niedermayer and Bertuzzi both tallied last Tuesday, when the Ducks posted a 4-2 win against the Stars. It was the Ducks' first win against Dallas in four matchups this season. The Stars won the first three meetings by a combined 10-2.