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Selanne, Ducks look to stay sharp vs. Devils

Feb 8, 2008 - 1:09 PM Anaheim (29-22-7) at New Jersey (30-20-4) 7:00 pm EST

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) - All it took to wake the defending Stanley Cup Champions from their recent funk was the return of last season's leading scorer.

The Anaheim Ducks will look to win three straight with Teemu Selanne in the lineup when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

The "Finnish Flash" has two points in as many games since returning on Tuesday, and the Ducks are 2-0-0 while outscoring their opponents 7-1. Selanne assisted on Chris Kunitz's second period power-play tally on Thursday as Anaheim claimed a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers.

Selanne took time off to contemplate retirement after scoring 48 goals and recording 96 points last season as a key member of the Ducks' championship squad. Unable to stay away this season, the 37-year-old announced that he was returning last month and is working his way back into shape on the ice.

He seems to be having a positive effect, as Anaheim has snapped out of a six-game slide since his return. During the losing streak, the Ducks managed just five goals in the six contests.

Perennial All-Star goaltender Martin Brodeur will be charged with stopping Selanne and the suddenly potent Anaheim attack. Brodeur owns an 11-5-1 record with a 1.91 goals-against average in 16 career games against the Ducks.

Brodeur has not been at his best recently, allowing at least three goals in each of his last seven starts. The Devils have dropped four of their last six to fall out of first place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind both Philadelphia (30-18-5) and Pittsburgh (30-19-5).

Anaheim will pe playing the sixth game of a season-high nine-game road swing on Friday. The club owns a 13-15-3 record away from home this season.