Not hot -- The Ducks, who have lost five of seven games, are not hot. Rob Niedermayer has not scored in nine games. ... Phoenix goaltender Mikael Tellqvist has cooled, going 1-1-0 with a 4.51 goals against average and .855 save percentage in his last two outings. ... Jonathan Cheechoo of San Jose has just one point in his last six games. Cheechoo, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy last season with 56 goals, is on pace for less than half that many (26) this year.

Rumor mill -- Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer, sidelined since Jan. 19 by a stress fracture in his right foot, has resumed skating and is expected to return to the Ducks’ lineup this week, possibly as soon as Tuesday at San Jose.
CONROY
Anaheim is one of several teams believed to be interested in Philadelphia’s Peter Forsberg, who is slated to become a free agent July 1. ... The Kings dealt Craig Conroy to Calgary last week, and GM Dean Lombardi isn’t likely to stop there. Rob Blake is among the other Kings veterans who could be dealt for younger players or draft picks. ... Dallas forward Steve Ott remains sidelined indefinitely with a broken ankle.

The week ahead -- It’s rivalry week in California, and we’re not talking about Cal-Stanford, or UCLA-USC basketball. The Ducks and Sharks square off in a home-and-home series that begins Tuesday in Northern California, before concluding Wednesday in Orange County. The Ducks open the series with a three-point lead on the Sharks, with both teams having played 53 games. San Jose is 6-3-1 in their last 10 games; the Ducks are 4-4-2 over the same period. The Ducks lead the season series thus far, 2-1.

After the two-game showdown, the Ducks embark on a four-game trip that takes them to Dallas, Colorado, Phoenix and Los Angeles. For the Sharks, the back-end of the two-game series is the first game of a taxing eight-game road trip.

And?


Last time I checked, they're still ahead of Dallas...

I still tend to believe it's a clever trap

And they're still ahead of Dallas...