The Coyotes have picked the worst possible time to go into a slump.

They have lost five straight and seven of their last nine, and their unexpected bid to make the playoffs remains alive by only the slimmest of margins, in large part because of a subpar home record (16-18-4) and to a lesser degree a shaky Western Conference where no one seems able to firmly grasp the final slots.

With only six games to go -- and four of those on the road -- the Coyotes will be battling both long odds and the San Jose Sharks on Monday night at Jobing.com Arena.

"Every loss hurts just as much now," said captain Shane Doan.

If the Coyotes can regroup and defeat the Sharks, it would give them a huge boost going on the road for two games. Away from home ice, they are 20-15-2.

DUCKS 2, COYOTES 1: Defenseman Ed Jovanovski scored a tying goal on a power play early in the third period, but the Ducks came back with one of their own from Teemu Selanne, his second of the night. The Coyotes took 30 shots and limited Anaheim to 15. Four penalties in the third period disrupted the flow of the Coyotes offense.

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