SoCal NHL Report

Anaheim (4-5-1) at St Louis (4-2-0), 5:30 pm
ST. LOUIS (Ticker) - The defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks aim for their first road win of the season when they take on the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The Ducks have been outscored by a 19-8 margin in going 0-4-1 away from home. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who has recovered from offseason hernia surgery, was pulled in his first road start of the season after allowing three goals on 12 shots in a 3-1 loss to Dallas on Saturday. However, there is hope since the Ducks are 6-1-0 against the Blues and have won three straight here. In addition to that, Giguere was solid on the road last season, going 15-7-2 with a 2.34 goals-against average. The 12-year veteran has also won his last six starts against St. Louis, compiling a 2.92 GAA. While the Ducks aim for their first road win, the Blues will be trying to bounce back from their first home loss of the season, a 3-1 setback to Minnesota on Saturday. If Anaheim is to finally notch its first road win of the season, it will have to solve St. Louis netminder Manny Legace. Legace is 8-1-0 with a 1.98 GAA in 13 career games against the Ducks. His only loss came almost eight years ago in his first start against them on November 16, 1998.

Nashville (2-5-0) at Los Angeles (3-6-0), 7:30 pm
LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- If the Nashville Predators want to continue their trend of improving each season, they have their work cut out for them. The Predators look to end a five-game skid when they travel to the Staples Center on Tuesday to meet the Los Angeles Kings. Nashville has improved its point total each season, going from 69 as an expansion franchise in 2001-02 to 110 points last season. However, the Predators find themselves at the bottom of the Central Division with four points, tied for fewest in the Western Conference with the Phoenix Coyotes. One of the most glaring reasons for the current skid is the play of goaltender Chris Mason, who is just 2-5-0 with a 3.38 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. Those numbers come one season after he went 24-11-4 with a 2.38 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 40 games. Mason will need to be on top of his game to stop Kings center Michael Cammalleri, who has scored a goal in four of his last five contests. Cammalleri, the team's leading scorer last season, is tied with Calgary's Daymond Langkow for the league lead with eight goals.