Bobby Ryan

Ducks, Senators face-off before Christmas break

Published Dec. 22, 2016 1:03 p.m. ET

STATS LLC

OTTAWA -- On their way home from a long road trip early last week, the Ottawa Senators were given a rude sendoff by the Anaheim Ducks, who pasted them by four goals.

The Senators have a chance for some payback under similar circumstances Thursday night.

The Ducks (17-12-5) are coming off one of their worst losses of the season when they visit Canadian Tire Centre, the last stop on a six-game road trip. In Montreal on Tuesday, they managed only 13 shots on goal in a 5-1 beating by the Canadiens.

The game was the second in two nights and third in four for the Ducks, who are playing 11 of their 15 December games on the road.

"I don't have any excuses," center Ryan Getzlaf told The Orange County Register. "We didn't play structured. That's how we got beat."

Coach Randy Carlyle also refused to blame exhaustion for the lackluster showing which saw Andrew Cogliano score Anaheim's goal.

"If you want to use it as an excuse, yes, it's an excuse," Carlyle told reporters. "That's not what we're supposed to be about. I look at it totally differently, because we were in position, as favorable position as you can be on the road, down one goal and on the power play to start fresh ice in the third period."

The Ducks power play, ranked No. 2 in the league, failed to get the job done on any of its three chances at the Bell Centre.

Meanwhile, the Senators (19-11-3) have been flying high since they were rolled over at Anaheim's Honda Center. They claimed seven of eight available points since and are riding a three-game winning streak after an impressive 4-3 victory in Chicago on Wednesday.

Leading the way offensively are Bobby Ryan and Derick Brassard, who own four and three-game goal scoring streaks, respectively. Also, Zack Smith has six points in his last three games while Mark Stone has six in four.

But the key has been the goaltending of Mike Condon, who is 7-3-2 while Craig Anderson remains on personal leave.

"I think Mike is like everybody now," coach Guy Boucher said of his backup, who was acquired for a fifth round pick in a trade with Pittsburgh in the first week of November. "What you see is a definite commitment to battling, paying the price and doing the extra work and being on the same page."

Condon should also be anxious to get another crack at the Ducks. His worst outing as a Senators was that Dec. 11 afternoon in Anaheim, when he surrendered three goals on 13 shots and was pulled after one period.

The Ducks are expected to start goaltender John Gibson, who gave up only a goal to Ryan Dzingel on the 22 Ottawa shots he faced in Anaheim.

The game will be the last for both teams before the Christmas break.