Just because...
Record: 22-18-5
Leading scorers:
Blogs: Battle of Cali
First time I saw the Ducks play Gordon Bombay led a team of misfits to victory over Iceland thanks to triple dekes and flying V's.
The last time I saw the Anaheim Ducks play, and coincidentally the last time the Penguins played them, was the Pittsburgh home opener last season. The Pens went on to win that one 5-4 thanks in part to two goals from Evgeni Malkin and a ridiculous, hacky/choppy breakaway goal by Colby Armstrong. Great game to be at.
Tonight may be a different story. Ducks head coach and former Penguin Randy Carlyle (Pens of the Past profile) visits Mellon tonight with the hopes of pulling out a win over a limping Penguins squad. Reports suggest Sidney Crosby is a game-time decision sitting this one out. The likes of Max Talbot and Rob Scuderi are still questionable.
The Ducks aren't far off from the Pens in terms of overall record (22-18-5) but they are at least winning games as of late. They aren't exactly rolling into Pittsburgh tonight after a 4-3 loss to the Red Wings on Wednesday but they are playing the definition of .500 hockey for the month of January.
Sadly the same cannot be said for the Pens...(2-6, January).