Lalime, Senators target fourth straight shutout
Ottawa, Ontario (Sports Network) - The Ottawa Senators seek their fourth consecutive victory and shutout tonight when they welcome the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the Corel Centre.
Ottawa, which has won six of his last eight tilts, has blanked Calgary, Edmonton and Tampa Bay in succession, by a combined score of 10-0. Goaltender Patrick Lalime has set a Senators record with the shutout run, and can join Montreal's Bill Durnan as the only other goalie to notch four straight blankings in the modern era. Durnan accomplished the feat from February 26 - March 6, 1949.
On Tuesday Lalime made 17 saves for his fifth shutout of the season to back a 7-0 victory over the Lightning. Martin Havlat and Radek Bonk posted two goals apiece for the Senators, who also received tallies from Zdeno Chara, Petr Schastlivy and Chris Neil. Ottawa picked up its 11th win in the last 15 games (11-2-1-1).
The Senators, with 62 points, are one ahead of Dallas in the race for the NHL's best overall record. They are 11 ahead of Toronto in the Northeast Division.
Ottawa, 4-0-1-1 in its last six home tilts, will cap off a three-game set Saturday versus Washington.
Anaheim, meanwhile, has won three straight games, including Wednesday's 4-3 victory in Columbus. Rob Valicevic's goal early in the third period proved to be the game-winner for the Ducks, who also received scores from Stanislav Chistov, Alexei Smirnov and Steve Rucchin. Their current run comes on the heels of a seven-game winless slide (0-6-1).
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who equaled Lalime's feat of three straight shutouts earlier in the season, made 27 saves in the win over the Blue Jackets.
The Ducks, 8-10-2-3 on the road, opened a three-game trek Wednesday. They'll visit Minnesota on Saturday to open a home-and-home.
Ottawa is 4-0-2 in the last six meetings with Anaheim, last losing on March 22, 1998. The Ducks are 0-2-1 in their last three trips to Ottawa since then.
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