By Matt Vevoda
AnaheimDucks.com

In what seems like the perfect remedy for a completed, chaotic road trip that began with one of their star players injured and ended with a much-needed win, the Ducks will be digging their heels in at Honda Center for seven of the next eight games through the middle of January.

"It's going to launch us to the end of the season," J.S. Giguere said of Anaheim's upcoming homestand. "We're a team that I think can play a little better. There is no better time to start than tomorrow (against Columbus)."

With their only road venture during the next 18 days being a short bus ride to Los Angeles on Jan. 8, the Ducks hope the influx of home dates builds momentum for the rest of their season as they try to improve their position (currently sixth) in the Western Conference standings.

“It’s very important,” said Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the homestand. “It’s going to launch us to the end of the season. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We’re a team that I think can play a little better. There is no better time to start than tomorrow (against Columbus).”

If history is any indication, there might not be a better opponent than Columbus for the Ducks to kick off their extended stay in Orange County. Along with defeating the Blue Jackets each of the last five overall meetings, the Ducks hold a 9-3-3 mark all-time when the series is played in Anaheim. It also doesn’t hurt the Blue Jackets are just 5-10-3 away from Nationwide Arena so far this season (although they beat the Kings in Los Angeles 2-0 on Monday for their first road win in five weeks).

“I don’t think anything other than the first one and that is tomorrow,” said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle of the span of home games. “We watched Columbus going into LA and play a real energetic game. They are playing well defensively. We have a huge challenge.”

Once the homestand expires on Jan. 14, the Ducks’ schedule enters a period that will see 15 of 20 games come on the road (including a season-long six straight from Feb. 20 through March 3). As a result, Anaheim knows they must capitalize on their current opportunity.

“After this homestand we’re going to have quite a bit of games on the road with trips to the East Coast,” Giguere said. “It’s going to be a tough go, so it’s important to try to get as many points as we can. Then once we go on the road, we can feel good about our team.”

Within that long road trip in January and February is the 2009 NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 25. And it’s looking more and more like not just one, but multiple Ducks will be starting on that night in Montreal.

Currently three Ducks (Giguere, Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer) are in position to be named starters while another (Chris Pronger) is gaining ground. Holding onto the third forward spot in the West, Getzlaf (614,078 vote) has opened up a 225,606 gap between himself and the next vote-getter, Detroit’s Marian Hossa (as of 3 p.m. Pacific).

“I think it would be awesome,” said Getzlaf on the prospects of being an All-Star starter. “It’s a pretty big honor to be able to be voted in, especially if it’s my second All-Star Game. I think it’s a big tip of the cap to our fans, who have really come to be a part of the hockey world. They have obviously done an enormous job in voting and for that I thank them.”

"It's a pretty big honor to be able to be voted in, especially if it's my second All-Star Game," Ryan Getzlaf said. "I think it's a big tip of the cap to our fans, who have really come to be a part of the hockey world. They have obviously done an enormous job in voiting and for that I thank them."

Fans recently propelled Niedermayer (539,150 votes) into the second spot among West defensemen with Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom (531,331) now in third place. Pronger sits just 9,797 votes behind Niedermayer in fourth place. Leading among West goaltenders is Giguere (518,166), who is more than 70,000 votes in front of Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo.

“There is no better scenario for me if I get to go,” said Giguere, a Montreal native. “If I do get to go it would mean a lot. I think I would owe that one to the fans. They are the ones that are going there and voting every day.This year they have done a terrific job as far as our team is concerned. It’s never been seen before like this. Whoever said that we don’t have good fans here was just totally wrong. Yet again we’re proving that we have good fans and they are showing it right now.”