Snapping the Boston Bruins’ four-game win streak are the Anaheim Ducks, who prevailed with a 5-3 victory at home this Wednesday.
Center Rickard Rakell delivered the goods for Anaheim that evening by scoring two goals and after his team had put up just a total of five goals in the four previous games prior to Wednesday. The Ducks sure need all the help they can get on offense right now, as they’ve gone 0-12 on power play over the last six games.
What’s promising for the boys from SoCal, however, is that backup goalie Jonathan Bernier nabbed his first winning decision in exactly a month’s time. Bernier made 26 saves against the Bruins and served well between the pipes again for the second-straight game with starter John Gibson still out with a lower body injury.
A strong net-minding afternoon on Saturday will be key once more, and the Ducks are well suited for the task. They’re currently fifth in the league with an 84.7-percent percentage at penalty killing this season, and they’ve also gone 17-of-18 in short-handed situations over the last five contests.
A trip to LA shouldn’t be of grave concern for Anaheim either, as the team has won four of its last five meetings against the Kings, which includes a 4-0 shutout victory from November 1.
Failing to gain any sort of momentum yet again are the Los Angeles Kings, who fell to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, 4-1. As it stands, Los Angeles remains a distant six points behind the team holding onto the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference (Calgary).
The Kings’ scoring production has taken a turn for the worse, alright, as they’ve scored just an average of 1.8 goals over their last five outings. Now, even the team’s goaltending has taken a hit, as Peter Budaj stopped just 21 of Boston’s 25 shots on Wednesday.
Budaj has started all 13 of Los Angeles’ most-recent games, and it’s clear that he’s pretty gassed at doing so, with the Kings having lost six of their last eight contests. We might see more of the Czech vet in the days to come to his dismay, as the team had just waived his backup in Jeff Zatkoff earlier this week.
Not even having home-ice advantage has worked out for the Kings of late, as they’ve lost five of their last six in the confines of Staples Center. That being said, we’re likely in for another letdown in the City of Angels indeed.
Writer’s Prediction
The Ducks cling tight to their fifth seed in the West with a 3-2 victory.
