(SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Kesler will face his former team for the first time on Sunday evening as the Anaheim Ducks play host to the Vancouver Canucks. Kesler was a key contributor for the Canucks after they selected him 23rd overall in 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. Seeing how passionate that city was, and the fans, and the hundreds of thousands of people in the streets after every game sticks out, Kesler told Anaheims website of that run to the Finals. I was with the team for 11 years, and going through what I went through with them and that city, its going to be exciting. 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. In 15 games with the Ducks this season, the 30-year-old Kesler has three goals and 10 points in 15 games. Hell take on some added responsibility tonight with Corey Perry expected to miss a third straight game with the flu. Perry, who is tied for the NHL lead with 11 goals, missed an overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday, as did Ryan Getzlaf due to illness. Getzlaf, though, was able to return on Friday and scored in a 3-2 shootout setback to the Arizona Coyotes. Matt Beleskey also lit the lamp for the Ducks, who play the third contest of a four-game homestand looking to avoid a third straight loss. Frederik Andersen finished the game with 23 stops. We had opportunities to score goals and we werent able to get them by (Arizona goaltender Mike Smith), Getzlaf said. Cam Fowler left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Fellow defenseman Francois Beauchemin also is a game-time decision due to the flu as he missed practice on Saturday along with Perry. Andersen should get the start and has won all three of his previous games versus the Canucks with a 1.00 goals against average. He has stopped 97 of the 100 shots faced. The Canucks eye a bounce back effort tonight after getting blasted 5-1 on Saturday night by the Los Angeles Kings. Vancouver had netted eight goals in winning the first two of a four-game road trip before suffering just its second loss in eight games. Chris Higgins scored the only goal of the game for the Canucks on Saturday and Ryan Miller allowed four goals on 22 shots in two periods of work. Eddie Lack allowed a goal on 14 shots in the third period. We are not good enough right now, we have to get better, Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins said. Having gotten pulled last night, Miller may get a chance to start again tonight. He is 3-3-0 with a 2.56 GAA and .923 save percentage in his career versus the Ducks. Bonino and Sbisa will make their returns to Anaheim tonight. Bonino has been a solid addition to the Canucks with seven goals and 12 points in 15 games, while Sbisa has three points in 14 contests. The Ducks swept their five-game set with the Canucks last season and have won nine of the past 12 meetings overall and three straight as the host. Richie Zisk Mariners Jersey . Rajne Soderberg, the director of the Stockholm Diamond League event, said in an email Friday that the ban still holds. Euromeetings, the organization representing Europes top track events, "will continue to recommend that members do not invite athletes who we believe cause disrepute to our meetings and our sport. Jim Presley Mariners Jersey .Mack, a reserve guard who came in averaging 3.8 points, made all six of his 3-pointers as the Hawks went 16 for 28 from behind the arc.Trailing 50-38 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta outscored Cleveland 89-48 the rest of the way and sent the Cavaliers to their largest loss of the season. https://www.cheapmariners.com/. MLB.com reported that the Dodgers locked the left-hander in for one year at $10 million with up to $4 million in incentives. Tino Martinez Jersey . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Taijuan Walker Mariners Jersey . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night.NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Pelicans and Louisiana-based Smoothie King have reached a 10-year agreement to rename the New Orleans Arena as the Smoothie King Center. Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said such a deal had been a "gigantic" piece of owner Tom Bensons business plan since he bought the long-struggling small-market franchise from the NBA in the spring of 2012. "Finding a naming rights partner was key to the long-term financial viability of this franchise in this market," Lauscha said. Benson, who has owned the Saints since 1985, purchased citys NBA franchise — formerly called the Hornets — for $338 million and has consolidated the headquarters and many of the business operations of both clubs. The hope was that with the two franchises sharing resources and cross-promoting one another, the region could better support two major professional sports teams. Officials with both the club and Smoothie King declined to release financial terms of the deal, which also gives Smoothie King an option for a 10-year extension. Smoothie King owner Wan Kim said sponsoring an NBA arena in New Orleans helps his company demonstrate its commitment to the community where it is based while promoting its brand globally. Smoothie King, founded in suburban New Orleans in 1973, has 674 locations in 31 states and in Asia, and is looking to expand both nationally and overseas, Smoothie King President Tom OKeefe said. Of 30 NBA cities, 21 currently have Smoothie King franchises, he said. The arena is officially being renamed on Thursday, in time for next weeks NBA All-Star festivities in New Orleans. Kim, a native of South Korea who attended college and business school in the United States, bought the company in July 2012. He said he initially considered moving its headquarters to Atlantta or Dallas.dddddddddddd "I started to realize a lot of people who live in New Orleans, for them, its very difficult to leave the city," Kim said. "Its a very different city. Its very unique, culturally, and I did start to see why people didnt want to move. "At the same time, I did feel our root is here and I shouldnt give up on that," Kim said. "Not only did we decide not to move out, but we are pretty much telling you (with the naming rights deal) that our group is here and we are sticking with it." As part of the agreement, Smoothie King will be airing commercials during Pelicans broadcasts, as well as sponsoring pregame and postgame segments. The companys smoothies will also be available at concession stands around the arena. Team officials said there were "two or three" other candidates for a naming rights deal, but that Smoothie Kings interests seemed most aligned with the Bensons goals of promoting the business climate in his home state. "Theres no more perfect story to say how businesses can root themselves in New Orleans and grow," said Rita Benson LeBlanc, Bensons granddaughter and a part owner of the Pelicans and Saints. She added that the agreement is "a testament to how New Orleans has recovered (from Hurricane Katrina) and how Louisiana is redefining itself as an economic development engine." The deal might have been completed before this season began, but because Smoothie King products contain nutritional supplements, NBA rules required that all of the companys products be tested to ensure there were no banned substances. LeBlanc said that process took about eight months. "We couldnt have any question as to what are the contents of the products that Smoothie King actually offers," LeBlanc said. 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