from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

As the Anaheim Ducks get set to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night, the look-in-the-mirror aspect of the contest isn't lost on either captain.

"I don't think it's gone as planned for both teams,'' Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said over the phone Tuesday evening.

Both popular preseason picks to go all the way, neither team has found high gear just yet in what have been two of the biggest surprises of the season.

"They're a great team,'' Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said Wednesday morning, his team having lost 5-0 in Tampa back on Nov. 21.

"The one thing I do know is that when you go to the playoffs and you play late into them, it's not always easy to get going the next year and it's a lot of hockey," Getzlaf said of the Lightning, a Stanley Cup finalist last season. "If you've played a lot of hockey, the following year could be a tough start. But I think much like us, I think they'll be there at the end of the year, they'll be in the playoffs, and they're going to be a tough team to contend with. It'll be a good test for us Wednesday night.''

continued