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Streaky Ducks look to end losing skid against Kings

Nov 16, 2008 - 9:25 AM Los Angeles (7-7-2) at Anaheim (9-7-2), 8:00 pm EST

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks have become a streaky team, rolling through winning stretches of five and three games as well as enduring skids of three and four.

Caught in a negative wave, the Ducks look to snap a three-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.

Anaheim started 1-5-0 before rebounding with an 8-0-1 stretch. They have fallen again and will have to find a way to win without one of their top defensemen, Francois Beauchemin.

Usually alongside Scott Niedermayer to form one of the league's most potent blue-line pairs, Beauchemin will likely miss the rest of the season after blowing out his left knee Friday in the Ducks' 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. A six-year veteran, Beauchemin had four goals and one assist in 18 games. He was also averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time.

Lately, Anaheim has been sparked by Ryan Getzlaf, who had a goal and an assist against the Predators and has a point in 11 of their last 13 games.

The Kings saw their four-game win steak end on Saturday when they fell to the Predators, 3-1. Michal Handzus scored the lone goal as Los Angeles failed to post its first five-game run since February 11-March 7, 2006.

Starting his sixth straight game, Erik Ersberg, a second-year goalie who started the season as backup to Jason LaBarbera, turned aside 31 shots despite suffering his second loss.