An MRI performed this afternoon on the sprained left ankle of Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf showed no significant ligament or muscle tears, and the Ducks center is listed as day-to-day.

Following the MRI, Getzlaf made the following statement: "My ankle feels much better today and I'm relieved the test showed no significant damage. My goal is to return to the ice this week for the Ducks, and I look forward to joining Team Canada for the Olympics on Monday."

That collective sigh you hear is coming from north of the U.S. border. The Ducks, however, will likely have to play the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night without their leading scorer.

Getzlaf left in the second period of Monday night's win over the Kings and didn't return after sustaining the injury. On Tuesday morning he told reporters that "the swelling and stuff all reacted perfectly. There's not much swelling."

Something had to give and you could say the Ducks took it.

The Kings' team-record winning streak ends at nine, and the Ducks' home winning streak goes to 10 - matching a team record.


Teemu Selanne, Getzlaf, Saku Koivu and Corey Perry scored for the Ducks, while Oscar Moller and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings.
Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller outdueled counterpart Jonathan Quick, making 35 saves to Quick's 29.

Getzlaf sprained his left ankle midway through the second period and did not return. X-rays were negative and an MRI exam will be performed today to determine the full extent of the injury.

Vesa Toskala has already ordered a new goalie's mask and sounded like he couldn't wait to shed the Toronto Maple Leafs-colored mask that he wore Sunday in his first practice with the Ducks.

It took a week, but Vesa Toskala has joined the Anaheim Ducks.

His immigration paperwork in order, Toskala will practice with his new team Sunday at Honda Center for the first time since coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toskala has worn number 35 - the jersey formerly worn by Jean-Sebastien Giguere - for all but one of his eight NHL seasons. A team spokesperson said that Toskala's jersey number for Monday's game against the Kings has yet to be determined.

Goaltender Justin Pogge was returned to San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Sunday.

Dan Sexton, playing his first game in the American Hockey League since being sent back to Manitoba by the Ducks, scored twice in the Moose's 5-4 loss to the San Antonio Rampage.

In six games for the Moose this season, Sexton has three goals and five points.

Ducks defenseman prospect Brian Salcido had a pair of assists in the game, including one on a first-period power play goal by Sexton. Salcido has seven goals and 14 points in 44 games for the Moose.

TSN is reporting that injured Edmonton Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray has included the Ducks on a list of at least six teams he would waive his no-trade clause for. The others are the Kings, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers.

From the Richmond (IN) Palladium-Item:

Heavy accumulations of snowfall on Friday rendered area roads treacherous and claimed the lives of two people, injuring others and sparking a string of slideoffs and fender benders.

Brendan Burke, 21, Canton, Mass., and Mark A. Reedy, 18, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., died at the scene of a two-vehicle accident at U.S. 35 north of Economy. The accident was reported at 2:50 p.m.

Investigators said Burke was driving eastbound on U.S. 35 in a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee when, according to witnesses, the vehicle slid sideways into an oncoming 1997 Ford Truck driven by 24-year-old Michael Moreland of Lynn. Moreland was not hurt.

"We are saddened to report that Brendan Burke, the youngest son of Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke, succumbed to injuries he suffered in an auto accident earlier today in Indiana. The family asks for privacy at this difficult time."

Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar scored in the final six minutes of the third period to break a 4-4 tie, and send the Ducks to their third loss in three meetings against their Southern California rivals.

The Ducks looked as good as dead at 1:44 of the third period, when Jack Johnson scored the Kings' fourth straight unanswered goal to make it 4-1. But Troy Bodie, Matt Beleskey and Ryan Carter put pucks past Jonathan Quick over the next eight minutes to tie the game at 4, and put the Ducks in position to gain at least a point.

Defenseman Ryan Whitney was added to the U.S. Olympic roster for the Vancouver Games this morning.

"It will be amazing," Whitney said. "I've played for my country before and it's quite a feeling. It's really a feeling like no other."

The 26-year-old has represented Team USA at the 2001 World U18 Championships (Heinola/Helsinki/Lahi, Finland), the 2002 World Junior Championships (Pardubice/Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic) and the 2003 World Junior Championships (Halifax/Sydney, Canada).

This season for the Ducks, he has four goals and 24 points -- tied for seventh among U.S.-born defensemen in the NHL -- through 57 games. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason was also named to the team on Thursday.

"You have a lot of pride, you're just happy to be a part of the team that's representing your nation," Whitney said. "I can't wait. I'm so excited. I think it's going to be quite an experience."

Whitney joins teammates Bobby Ryan (USA), Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (Canada), Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne (Finland), Jonas Hiller and Sbisa (Switzerland). Ryan and Whitney become the second and third Ducks selected to Team USA in franchise history and could be the first to appear in a game. Former Ducks goaltender Guy Hebert was named to the 1998 Team USA Olympic squad, but did not play.

Ducks prospect Luca Sbisa, who is playing for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, is also expected to play for Team Switzerland.

Jonas Hiller signed a four-year, $18 million contract extension on Saturday, smack-dab in the middle of a shutout streak that ended Wednesday night at 1:55:03. That's the longest of his brief NHL career, and about two periods shy of Jean-Sebastien Giguere's team record (2:37:07).

Is Hiller's recent success directly tied to his new contract, and the expectations that come with it? Is it a result of being named the team's undisputed, number-one goalie? Or is the team just playing better in front of him?

Maybe it's all of the above.