(SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Kesler should already be motivated on Thursday night given that his Anaheim Ducks have lost six of their last seven games. However, a pending reaction from the Vancouver crowd could give him some extra juice. Kesler makes his return to Vancouver on Thursday night as the Ducks try to get on track against the Canucks. The 30-year-old was a key contributor for the Canucks after they selected him 23rd overall in the 2003 draft. In 655 career games with the franchise, he had 182 goals and 211 assists while also winning the Selke Trophy in 2011. The center also impressed with seven goals and 19 points in 25 playoff games in 2011, when Vancouver made a run to the Cup Finals and lost to Boston in seven games. After Vancouver failed to make the playoffs last season following two straight first-round exits, Kesler was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks on June 27 along with a third-round pick in 2015 for forward Nick Bonino, defenseman Luca Sbisa and a first and third-round selection in 2014. Talking with (general manager) Jim (Benning) and (president of hockey operations) Trevor (Linden) over the summer, I just think we decided that it was time to move on, Kesler said. As hard of a decision that it was to waive my no-trade clause, it was something that had to be done. While Kesler is visiting Vancouver for the first time, it wont be the first time he faces the Canucks. Anaheim played host to Vancouver on Nov. 9 and lost 2-1 in a shootout, with Bonino scoring the lone tally of the tiebreaker. Kesler had a chance to extend the shootout, but his shot rang off the post, a turn of events that probably would have delighted the Vancouver crowd had the game taken place at Rogers Arena. Hopefully they appreciated the 11 years that I played here, and remember the good times. Im hoping for a warm reception, but if not, its part of the game, Kesler said of his return. Its going to be an emotional night for me, but if they boo me, itll probably jack me up even more. Its going to be fun (Thursday). Its going to be an intense night, and Im looking forward to it. Keslers Ducks are just 1-1-5 in their last seven games and struggled in Tuesdays 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames. The Flames scored three straight third-period goals to take a lead, but Kyle Palmieri tied the game in regulation on a power-play tally. Sean Monahan scored for the Flames to give his club a 2-1 edge in the shootout and Corey Perry misfired in the Ducks last attempt. Sami Vatanen had a goal with two assists and Frederik Andersen stopped 16 shots. Its inexcusable. We all need to get in there and have a couple of good shifts to start the third, said Palmieri. We knew they were going to come hard. We need to be ready to start the third period. Anaheim is expected to get a pair of players back in the lineup tonight. Defenseman Francois Beauchemin is set to return from a five-game absence caused by the mumps, while forward Devante Smith-Pelly will play for the first time in four games due to a shoulder issue. The Canucks, meanwhile, have won five of seven and nine of their last 12 games after posting a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. Yannick Weber had the go-ahead goal with 8:28 left in the game, while Radim Vrbata scored twice. Ryan Miller allowed four goals on 32 shots and also saw the Oilers have a would-be tying goal waived off in the final seconds after it was ruled that David Perron kicked it in with his skate. Thats a game that the coaches probably didnt like, but we got two points, Vrbata said. Eddie Lack could get the start for the Canucks tonight and is 1-4-1 with a 3.24 goals against average and .885 save percentage lifetime versus the Ducks. Andersen is 3-0-1 with a 0.98 GAA and .970 save percentage against the Canucks. Vancouvers victory earlier this month over Anaheim snapped a six-game series losing streak and the club has dropped four straight and six of the past seven at home versus the Ducks. Fake Air Force 1 For Sale . Fans holding laudatory signs started showing up at Yankee Stadium when the gates opened at 4 p.m. Monday, an hour early in order to give them a chance to watch the New York captain take batting practice. Nike Air Max Plus Clearance . The United States clinched the final berth into the Ford Worlds, March 28-April 6 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, on Saturday in Blaine, Minn. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-97-clearance-sale.html . Not only that, when Julian de Guzman first stepped on the pitch for Deportivo de la Coruna he became the very first Canadian to play in Spains top tier. Nike Air Max China Paypal .Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference. Brand Shoes Wholesale China . Week 2s biggest games include Florida facing Miami and Notre Dame travelling to the Big House to conclude their rivalry against Michigan in primetime on TSN2 and TSN 1050.GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Henrik Lundqvist had his game-day face on at practice. He still smiled and answered all the questions thrown at him Monday about the Los Angeles Kings -- the New York Rangers long-awaited opponent in the Stanley Cup finals. "Exciting. Long flight," the star goalie said Monday before he and his teammates headed to California for New Yorks first appearance in the finals since winning the title in 1994. "East Coast-West Coast. Ill look forward to this matchup." If there wasnt already enough pressure on Lundqvist to lead his team to the championship, he is now part of the hype machine heading into Game 1 on Wednesday. Headlines are screaming: "King Henrik vs. the Kings." "Clever," he said with a slight laugh. The Rangers have been waiting since Thursday to find out if they would face the 2012 Stanley Cup-winning Kings or the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the finals. They took two days off before returning to practice on Sunday. Most of the players said they watched at least part of Los Angeles third road Game 7 win of this playoff year that night. So practice on Monday had a bit more focus for the Rangers as they knew exactly who was standing in their way next. "Any team you play at this time of year is a good hockey team, especially a team that has kind of been around the playoffs and the Stanley Cup finals a couple of times in the last few years," forward Derek Stepan said. "This is a very good hockey club, We have a tough challenge in front of us." The Kings returned to Los Angeles after their 5-4 come-from-behind overtime win at Chicago and took Monday off. They have played a record 21 playoff games before the finals -- one more than the Rangers, who eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in six games during the Eastern Conference finals. Before this year, no team that played seven games in each of the first two rounds had reached the finals. Now, both clubs have done it. The Kings taking it a step further with a trio of seven-game series. "When you knew you were playing L.A., the adrenaline started coming a little bit more," Lundqvist said. "Youve been thinking about this ever since you beat Montreal, but now knowing were going to L.A., it was easier to focus on whats coming. "You just try to now come back to the focus and mindset you had last week. Its been nice to get a little break heree and get away from it a little bit because its been that intense.dddddddddddd" Both teams will be back to the grind on Tuesday for media day, leading up to the opener the following night. The Rangers and Kings split two games during the regular season -- with each team winning in the other clubs building -- but they havent seen each other since Los Angeles 1-0 victory at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17. New York opened with a five-game Western road trip as final renovations were being made at the Garden. Its only win during that stretch was a 3-1 victory at Los Angeles on Oct. 7 -- a 28-save performance by Lundqvist. "Great goaltending. Great defence. Great forwards. Great special teams," Kings coach Darryl Sutter provided as a quick scouting report on the Rangers. "Were up against it again." The Rangers know that many, if not most, in the hockey world arent giving them much of a chance to win the Cup. They neither mind nor embrace the role of underdog. They have heard it before, and have just gone about their business. "When you get into the NHL, you know how hard it is to win," forward Brad Richards said. "The underdog thing and the favourite thing really doesnt mean anything in the locker room. You have to go out and play." New York needed seven games to get past division rival Philadelphia in the first round. The Rangers werent expected to beat Pittsburgh from the start, and certainly not after they fell into a 3-1 series deficit. Montreal was coming off a stirring seven-game victory over defending Eastern Conference champion Boston, so odds makers favoured the Canadiens in their matchup against New York, too. But here the Rangers are as the last team standing. "To put it quite simply, were up against the team that won the Stanley Cup two years ago that just beat the defending Stanley Cup champions, that without a doubt is battle-tested," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "We know exactly what we have to do. If we want to have a chance, were going to have to bring our best hockey of the year. Its as simple as that. "Weve had a couple of good practices, were going to have another good one tomorrow, and were going to be ready come Wednesday." He added one more thing as he left the media interview tent while wearing his sandals, to go prepare for a cross-country flight. "Bring your shorts," he said. ' ' '