Kevin Allen

USA TODAY Sports

The Anaheim Ducks%27 19-0-2 home record is the fourth-best home start by any NHL team

Six Eastern teams are a combined 4-14-2 in their California trips

California teams have great fans%2C big-bodied teams and excellent goaltending

A western road trip has become a visit to Murderer's Row for NHL teams this season with the three California teams combining for an .821 home winning percentage.

"California is a tough trip for a ton of reasons," said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire. "Time-zone travel, great fans in all three buildings, big-bodied teams and excellent goaltending."

The Anaheim Ducks' 19-0-2 home record is the fourth-best home start by any NHL team over the past 40 years. The San Jose Sharks are 16-2-3 at home, while the Los Angeles Kings are 16-6-3.

"The common denominators are they all have top GMs, top coaches and all of those teams are big and ugly," said Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke, a former general manager for the Ducks.

Six Eastern teams (Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning) have made the California trip and are a combined 4-12-2.

"I'm sure they aren't having any fun out here," said Anaheim general manager Bob Murray. "Playing LA is never any fun and San Jose is always good. Now we finally upped our level. " ... But everything is cyclical. "

The Ducks (35-8-5) lead the NHL in points, and the Sharks (28-12-6) and Kings (28-14-5) are second and third behind them in the Pacific Division standings.

"It just shows how far California hockey has come," said Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler. "Teams know when they come out here to play us, or the other two teams, they are in for a fight. That makes it fun."

The Ducks won a Stanley Cup in 2007, the Kings won in 2012 and the Sharks have reached the second or third round seven times in the past nine seasons.

"Teams going on the California trip now are saying, 'Oh, geez, it's going to be tough,'" said Kings forward Justin Williams. "Five or six years ago, it was, 'Oh, we're going to California, let's enjoy the weather, get a couple of wins, and get the heck out of there. Now it's totally different. You are coming in and playing formidable opponents."

It is unprecedented for all three California teams to be excelling at the same time.

"When I was in Vancouver (in the late 1990s), the California swing was good for four points and often six points, and now it is Death Valley," Burke said. "You are lucky to come out with a point."

The Ducks are best in the league in one-goal games and second in five-on-five scoring. The Kings lead the league in goals-against average and rank second in hits. The Sharks are first in shots and fifth in scoring.

"Anaheim, LA and San Jose are deep teams that play hard, physical hockey," McGuire said. "The depth of goaltending for all three teams can deflate the opposition and all three teams have great depth at center, which makes playing a matchup game really tough."