Time: 7 p.m.

Site: Honda Center

TV-radio: KDOC/KLAA 830

How they match up

Outlook: RW Corey Perry has a seven-game point streak and has six goals and five assists over than span. … C Ryan Getzlaf has points in six consecutive games. … C Todd Marchant’s goal in Thursday’s 4-0 win over Nashville was his first point of the season. … Radim Vrbata’s shootout goal for the Coyotes decided a 3-2 victory over the Ducks in Phoenix last week … Ex-Ducks G Ilya Bryzgalov made 32 saves in regulation and foiled all three shootout attempts in the win against his old team. Bryzgalov stopped 31 shots Thursday in the Coyotes’ 3-1 win over Chicago.

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– Jean-Sebastien Giguere continues to take part in the full practice and it appears his strained groin muscle has improved enough to where the Ducks are targeting his return for the upcoming four-game road trip to the East Coast.

“I think he looks good,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “He’s starting to feel more confident and comfortable in a lot of the situations. Our target is hopefully he can start to provide backup status next week on the road trip.”

As soon as Giguere is ready to come off injured reserve, Justin Pogge figures to be sent back to Bakersfield (ECHL).

– Some of the team’s other offensive players are starting to join Corey Perry  in terms of producing regularly. But there is consensus opinion that the top lines still have a ways to go to reach their peak.

“I think both lines have another level,” winger Bobby Ryan said. “We’ve seen shifts from both lines that are glimpses of what we can do. It’s just a matter of finding that consistency and getting to that level.”

– Carlyle said he wasn’t worried that defenseman James Wisniewski will want to take up matters again with Shane Doan when he returns from a two-game suspension Saturday against the Coyotes after delivering a forearm to the head of the Phoenix captain last week.

“I think he’s got to play his game,” Carlyle said. “Just be himself. Play hard. I don’t think you have to worry about his commitment to the battle. But he can’t be sidetracked. Our focus is winning the hockey game. Anything short of that is unacceptable.”

– It’s become a regular topic between Carlyle and defenseman Ryan Whitney. The message: Shoot the puck.

“He’s got a big-time shot,” the coach said. “And we’ve had our conversations about shooting the puck and getting it to the net with some oomph on it when he has the opportunity presents itself.”

– Center Todd Marchant missed practice in order to undergo some dental work. “They gave him the gas to put him to sleep for a while,” Carlyle quipped. “There wasn’t use brining him to the rink in that frame of mind.”

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That doesn’t mean he’s ho-hum about putting the puck in the net, though.

“There’s just something that doesn’t get old about scoring a goal,” Marchant said. “I don’t score a lot of them, but when I do, it’s a great feeling.”

That was the general sentiment in the Ducks’ locker room after a 4-0 victory against Nashville.

The club obviously wants to build off the victory, and if it does, Nashville will reprise its role as a cure-all for the Ducks.

Last season the Ducks entered a March 18 game against Nashville stuck in the mud at 33-31-6 and beat the Predators to start a regular-season ending 10-3-1 run.

Entering Thursday similarly stagnant at 4-7-2, the Ducks broke open a tight game in the third period for a much needed feel-good victory at home.

Teemu Selanne has the game-winning goal in both victories.

Coincidence? Well, yeah.

The only certain thing Thursday was that the Ducks were smiling again like Marchant was after he buried Petteri Nokelainen’s pass into the net for his first goal since April 10, the penultimate game of last regular season.

“It’s like the anvil’ s off my back there,” Marchant said. “Hopefully we can pick up where we left off tonight and carry over into Saturday.”

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Selanne doesn’t officially turn 40 until next July but he figures to have blown past more of the NHL’s greatest by then at the rate he’s going. In the Ducks’ 4-0 victory over Nashville, the Finnish Flash scored twice to give him 587 for his illustrious career.

Selanne’s two points push his career total to 1,221 as he passed legendary Montreal Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau for 38th place all time. He said his linemate Saku Koivu made him aware of his latest milestone.

“I know he’s won like nine or 10 Cups,” Selanne said. “He’s a legend in Montreal. I’ve seen some stories about him. Like I said, it’s a great honor to pass those guys. You know that you have done some good things in this league. I’m very lucky and thankful that I’ve played for such a long time.”

Selanne already has three two-goal games this season. His first goal Thursday moved him past Keith Tkachuk into sole possession of 10th place for power-play goals with 211.

“If you look, he has the most goals against us as any other Duck by a large margin,” Nashville coach Barry Trotz said, marveling at the seemingly ageless winger. “You have to respect that. He’s such a good player. I don’t think I’ve seen a 40-year-old human move as quick as he can.”

Note to Trotz: He’s not 40 yet and it seems he won’t be for a while.

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In other words, the Ducks center didn’t look like a player feeling the pressure of a rough start with his new team. But when you get your second goal in the season’s 13th game, it’s easy to feel as if a load has been taken off your shoulders.

Koivu broke a 10-game streak without a goal Tuesday night against Pittsburgh and would have had his first two-goal game as a Duck had Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury not make a remarkable save on a shot he didn’t see until it flew into his glove.

The 34-year-old veteran followed it up with a two-assist night Thursday against Nashville for his first multi-point effort.

Maybe the pressure’s off for good. After getting just one assist in the first eight games, Koivu has picked it up a bit with points in four straight games and five of his last six.

“It’s always nice to score and get some results,” Koivu said. “I think at this point, it’s just being confident the results will be there if you play well as a line. We’ve created chances and hopefully sooner or later it’s going to start going in.”

The Ducks were counting on Koivu to fill the black hole that the No. 2 center position had become when they signed him to upgrade the second line. However, Koivu hasn’t been able to develop the chemistry with winger Teemu Selanne that was expected upon his signing in July. But he hasn’t been frustrated at the lack of production.

“You push yourself to be at your best,” Koivu said. “Obviously we haven’t been happy the way we’ve been producing offensively. I wouldn’t say frustration but, you know, at this point it’s more about getting the team on track and the individual stuff will come.”

The two longtime stars for Finland in international play made their first real connection Thursday night when Koivu assisted on both of Selanne’s goals, especially on the second one when the center jumped on a turnover and set up Selanne with a deft backhand pass.

Selanne noted that it took him about 40 games to create chemistry with Paul Kariya when he first joined the Ducks in 1996.

“We have had some really good games,” Selanne said. “We have had so many good chances but the puck hasn’t gone in. It’s a little frustrating. Hopefully this is one of those boosts that you need to get to that level.”

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12: Number of consecutive penalties the Ducks have killed. They held Pittsburgh to 0-for-6 on Tuesday and Nashville to 0-for-5.

22: Number of combined points by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry over the past seven games. The two have seven goals and 15 assists during their respective scoring seven-game scoring streaks.

43: Number of points by Teemu Selanne in 36 career games against Nashville. Selanne has 19 goals and 24 assists against the Predators.

211: Career power play goals by Selanne, who moved past Keith Tkachuk for sole possession of 10th on the all-time list.

8: Number of consecutive non-sellouts at Honda Center, which matches the longest such streak of last season. The announced crowd Thursday was 14,298.

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Selanne scored from down low off a pass from Ryan Getzlaf as the Ducks’ two-man advantage was expiring at 15:32 of the first period.

He put away Saku Koivu’s cross-ice pass to make it 2-0 at 8:05 of the third period. Todd Marchant added a goal less than two minutes later when he banged home Petteri Nokelainen’s pass.

Hiller recorded his first shutout this season and fifth of his career. He had several impressive stops, including one on Marcel Goc in the first period and another on Jordin Tootoo on a 2-on-1 in the third.

Bobby Ryan made it 4-0 late in the third when he wristed in a backhand pass from Corey Perry.

Nashville went 0-for-5 on the power play, including three missed opportunities in the second period.

Selanne moved past Jean Beliveau for sole possession of 38th on the all-time scoring list with 1,221 points.

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First Brendan Morrison was centering Alex Ovechkin in Washington.

Now apparently Drew Miller was on a line with Vincent Lecavalier (and Stephane Veilleux) in Tampa Bay.

Miller was a third and fourth-line grinder for the Ducks who played in the 2007 playoffs as a rookie.

He was traded to the Lightning for Evgeny Artyukhin in August, and Ducks general manager Bob Murray acknowledged at the time that Miller probably didn’t get a fair shot in Anaheim.

Miller has no points in 13 games.

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To sign up for Saturday’s California Hockey Day, contact Rick Hutchinson at Anaheim ICE: 714-518-3211, rhutchinson@the-rinks.com (signing up in advance is recommended as enrollment is limited).

Click here to read more about California Hockey Day.

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After being scratched in four of the first eight games, Boynton has suited up in the last five and seen his minutes increase during that span. Part of that includes his current position alongside captain Scott Niedermayer.

Signed to a one-year free-agent contract in the off-season, Boynton acknowledged that he didn’t get off to a good start in Anaheim.

“It’s always an adjustment when you come to a new team,” he said. “Obviously I didn’t play the best in training camp and the coaches felt that way too. I’ve gotten an opportunity in the last little bit here and I’ve got to take advantage of it. Help the team any way I can.”

Boynton, who played a season-high 17:47 on Tuesday night against Pittsburgh, said he knows he’s currently in a good spot with Niedermayer on the top pairing.

“Killing penalties and being out there against the other team’s top guys is definitely where I want to be,” he said. “Playing with my partner … you can put anybody with him and play more minutes. I’m fortunate that way. Hopefully the coaches think I’m playing well and I’ll just keep doing my best. Let things go the way they will.”

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Boynton has worked hard to get himself into the rotation.

“I think he’s earning his minutes,” Carlyle said. “Any time a player that didn’t get in your line up on a consistent basis gets in and makes a contribution, it’s a tribute to the player.”

Boynton said he believes playing in the Western Conference better suits his physical, shutdown game. Last season, the 30-year-old played in Florida after two seasons with Phoenix.

“I don’t think I got hit once last year,” Boynton joked. “It’s a wide-open game [in the Eastern Conference]. It’s a lot more physical out west.

“I think it’s a more traditional game. More hard-nosed, tough hockey out west. And it’s definitely more of a grind. You definitely notice it.”

The Ducks had a short morning skate and didn’t go through the line rushes but there doesn’t figure to be any changes. Defenseman James Wisniewski will finish his two-game suspension tonight for his forearm to the head of Phoenix captain Shane Doan.

Meanwhile, Nashville figures to have center Jason Arnott (upper body) and winger Jordin Tootoo (strained hip flexor) in the lineup but leading scorer J.P. Dumont is out because of an upper-body injury suffered during practice Tuesday. Forward Andreas Thuresson was recalled from Milwaukee of the AHL.

Here’s the expected line combinations and defense pairings:

Bobby Ryan-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry

Joffrey Lupul-Saku Koivu-Teemu Selanne

Evgeny Artyukhin-Todd Marchant-Petteri Nokelainen

Mike Brown-Ryan Carter-George Parros

Scott Niedermayer-Nick Boynton

Ryan Whitney-Steve Eminger

Brendan Mikkelson-Sheldon Brookbank

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