SoCal NHL Preview

Calgary (33-22-9) at Anaheim (36-23-7), 7:00 pm, FSN

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks have taken off with Teemu Selanne on board. Now their sights are set on the Western Conference playoffs. In a battle chock full of playoff implications, the red-hot Ducks host the Calgary Flames on Friday.

Selanne returned from his semi-retirement on February 5, and Anaheim has gone 9-1-0 in 10 games since. The "Finnish Flash" has tallied in three straight games and announced his return in emphatic fashion with a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. The Ducks beat up on the Blackhawks, 6-3, and Selanne posted five points in just over 17 minutes of ice time. He now has 11 points in 10 games this season. The recent run of success has Anaheim (79 points) in fourth place in the Western Conference playoff picture, three points ahead of the San Jose Sharks (34-21-8).

The Flames are locked in a tight playoff battle in the Northwest Division, where the top four teams are separated by just three points. Calgary (75 points) is in second place in the Northwest due to the Minnesota Wild's superior win total (35-24-5, 75 points). The Flames dropped their last contest, 3-2 in overtime, against division foe Colorado. Captain Jarome Iginla, who ranks third in the NHL with 38 goals, was called for a tripping penalty in overtime that allowed the game-winning power-play tally. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak, during which Calgary had yielded a total of four goals. The Ducks have won two of the three meetings between the teams this season, including a 4-2 victory on February 17.