SoCal NHL Preview

Anaheim (25-17-6) at Nashville (22-19-4), 5:00 pm
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The red-hot Anaheim Ducks aim to continue their winning ways Thursday when they visit the Nashville Predators. Defenseman Scott Niedermayer scored a goal and added a pair of assists Tuesday as the Ducks won their fourth straight game, a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. Niedermayer, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, missed the first 34 games of the season while pondering retirement. Since his return 14 games ago, the 34-year-old defenseman has two tallies and nine assists, guiding Anaheim to a 10-2-2 record over that span. Niedermayer has also anchored a defense which has allowed just 11 goals this month while suffering just one loss - a 3-2 shootout setback to the Phoenix Coyotes on January 5. After a pair of overtime losses, the Predators got back on track Tuesday, claiming a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames. Chris Mason made 22 saves against the Flames for his third shutout of the season and second in his last three games for Nashville. With the win, Mason improved to 12-14-3 this season with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.