Ducks-Lightning Preview: Will the Ducks Rebound?

My Ducks lost a hard game to the second worst team in the NHL, the Florida Panthers. Tonight, they look to rebound against the #1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This is a match of the top points leaders in both conferences. The Ducks, at 15-4-1, have the best record in the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning have the best record in the Eastern Conference. So here's some keys to tonight's game:

Injuries
Steven Stamkos is out approximately three months because of the broken tibia he suffered in the Bruins game. For the third consecutive game, Ryan Getzlaf will be out of the lineup. Sami Salo is day-to-day for the Lightning and Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller is recovering from the flu.

Goaltending
Ducks' goaltender Frederik Andersen is a major surprise so far this season, going 6-1-0 with a 1.66 GAA and a .943 save percentage. Ben Bishop of the Lightning is 12-2 with a 2.02 GAA and a .930 save percentage.

Offense
The Ducks have the NHL's third-highest scoring offense, at an average of 3.35 goals per game. The Lightning rank eighth in that category. However, the edge in offense goes to the Ducks because they have had the more productive secondary scoring while Tampa mainly relies on Malone and St. Louis to provide a general portion of their offense.

Defense
Hampus Lindholm is posting a plus-14 with the Ducks. However, the Ducks have the 26th ranked penalty kill while the Lightning are ranked fifth in penalty killing, while the Ducks have a poor power play.

Home/road record
The Lightning are 7-2 at home, while the Ducks are 7-4-1 on the road.

Those all said, this is a very interesting matchup. While I believe the Ducks have a good offense and they can give Tampa a run for its money, Tampa's starting to look solid on defense and the penalty kill has been excellent for them for the better part of this season. That's why they are ranked 1st in the Eastern Conference. They've been able to play defense.

The Ducks will be without much of their offense, as Ryan Getzlaf is still out and whether or not Corey Perry will play tonight because of a flu. Unfortunately, the flu bug is starting to hit many of these Ducks players, like Perry, Hiller, and even Kyle Palmieri was out in the game against Florida because of the flu. It has not been a great start in terms of injuries for the Ducks. They've lost a lot of guys and although they're getting some of them back, I don't think that'll be enough to overpower the Lightning. That said, I think the Lightning get the win tonight because of their defense and the way they play at home, as well as Ben Bishop playing exceptionally well for them right now.