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NHL on NBCSN: Ducks, Penguins battle to end slumps

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NBCSN continues its coverage of the 2013-14 campaign tonight when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Anaheim Ducks at the Consol Energy Center at 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.

The Penguins and Ducks are two teams that could go far in the playoffs, but right now they’re just trying to break out of their recent slumps. Pittsburgh has lost four of its last five games while Anaheim is on a three-game losing streak.

Lately the Penguins biggest problem has been their offense with them being held to just one goal in four of their previous five matches. Still, it’s hard to imagine that a team consisting of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Chris Kunitz, and Pascal Dupuis can be contained for long.

Related: Pro Hockey Talk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $2,500 Fantasy Hockey league tonight (Monday). It’s just $10 to join and first prize is $500. Starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. Here’s the link.

“It scares … me,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau admitted, according to the Orange County Register. “They’re about to break out. We just hope it’s Wednesday against Washington and not (tonight) against us.”

With that in mind, Boudreau has an interesting decision ahead of him when it comes to selecting his starting goaltender. He’s used three different goalies in his last three games, including Frederik Andersen, who was filling in while Viktor Fasth was sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Andersen was dominant, but he’s been sent to the minors, so Boudreau will have to chose between Jonas Hiller and Fasth. Neither goaltender has a clear hold on the starting job in Anaheim, but the possibility of limiting the talented Penguins would be a particularly big opportunity for Hiller. He has a .898 save percentage in his contract season and warmed the bench on Friday after an ugly loss against Tampa Bay.

Whoever Boudreau picks will be backed by defenseman Ben Lovejoy in his return to Pittsburgh. The 29-year-old blueliner spent parts of five seasons with the Penguins before he was traded to Anaheim in February. Lovejoy was never able to get too much responsibility in Pittsburgh, but he has become an important part of the Ducks’ defensive core.

Even if all that fails though and the Penguins heat up, this won’t necessarily be a win for Pittsburgh. Forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are two of just seven players in the league with at least 10 goals and 23 points. That’s help the Ducks record 3.18 goals per game.

This is a team that can match the Penguins blow-for-blow in an offensive showcase, which is part of the reason why this might be the start of a great campaign for them. But first they need to get back into the win column.

Follow @RyanDadoun