Ducks at Blues preview: Sinking Ducks need a win

The Anaheim Ducks were hopeful at the start of the season that last year’s dip in the standings would be a blip on the radar. That has not panned out. Right now, the Ducks are last in the Western Conference with 39 points, and are padded from being at the bottom of the league by the Detroit Red Wings. They’ve lost three games in a row and are a disappointing 6-14-2 on the road. The Blues, in contrast, have won three games in a row so far in this homestand and dominate at home this season. They’re on an eight game winning streak right now in Enterprise Center and are 16-4-3 in St. Louis.

That being said, the Ducks don’t quit, but the Blues haven’t taken their foot off of the gas. They’ve bounced back from a road trip that went less than ideally and rattled off three wins in a row. All three of these wins were shows of strength against lesser opponents, but their 5-1 win over the Sabres and 5-2 win over a visibly frustrated Rangers team should give the Ducks pause.

Also a factor that should concern Anaheim is that Colton Parayko was back on the ice this morning, meaning that his brief foray onto the injury list is more than likely done. The Blues have played well without him, but they play better with him.

The Ducks have lost six out of their last seven games but the road team in this series is 7-0 over the last couple of seasons. That’s the streak that needs to be broken tonight.