Anaheim Ducks 3 Things To Keep An Eye On Tonight

The Anaheim Ducks are set to take on the Los Angeles Kings tonight at Staples Center in what will be the Ducks fourth preseason game.

Anton Khudobin appears to be the man in net for the Ducks and he is coming off of a great performance against San Jose where he allowed just one goal.

Clayton Stoner is still nursing an injury and will not be in the lineup tonight. Ryan Getzlaf will also get the night off after taking a maintenance day and sitting out of practice on Monday.

Carl Hagelin has yet to play this preseason and it does not appear he will be in the lineup tonight either. However, there is no injury concern with Hagelin, he should play in one of the Ducks final two preseason games and he could possibly even play in both.

Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown and Jake Muzzin will all be sitting out for the Kings tonight.

With that, here are 3 things to look for in tonight’s game.

Corey Perry possibly playing alongside Rickard Rakell

There have been rumors of Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau possibly splitting up Getzlaf and Corey Perry this preseason.

The thought behind this idea is to balance out the lineup. Using Getzlaf, Kesler and Perry on separate lines could cause a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.

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If Getzlaf and Perry were to be split up it is highly likely that Perry would play on a third line next to Rickard Rakell, and that appears to be what we will see tonight. Jiri Sekac will likely round out that line and it gives Boudreau an interesting look at a possible third line with a ton of offensive potential.

We all know that Getzlaf and Perry have formed some incredible chemistry over the years, so keep a close eye on how Perry feeds off of Rakell tonight.

The Ducks are hoping that Rakell takes the next step to become a serious offensive contributor and Corey Perry might just be the guy to help make that happen.

Nick Ritchie and Max Friberg

Max Friberg was oddly placed on waivers Monday morning but after clearing, he will be back in the Ducks lineup tonight. He was noted as being the most impressive prospect during the beginning of camp and he has a shot to impress Bob Murray and the coaching staff again tonight.

Anaheim Ducks /

Anaheim Ducks

Nick Ritchie also survived “major cut Monday” which saw the Ducks roster reduced by 23 players. Ritchie has been impressive this preseason and after putting up 26 points in 14 games during the 2015 OHL playoffs, it appears the six foot two 230 pound 19 year old is ready to take the next step.

Keep a close eye on both tonight. The Ducks did add some depth at forward this offseason, but there is room for Ritchie and Friberg to possibly start the year in Anaheim.

While getting on the scoresheet would obviously be impressive for either guy, you should keep an eye on how they play in the defensive zone and how they handle puck battles against the tough Kings lineup.

It could be the little things that end up earning Ritchie or Friberg a roster spot.

Defense

This will be the first game that Boudreau uses some familiar and predictable defensive pairings. Hampus Lindholm should be paired with Kevin Bieksa while the pairing of Cam Fowler and Simon Despres appears to be intact again.

With Clayton Stoner and Korbinian Holzer out, Josh Manson appears to be back in the lineup playing on the Ducks third pairing with Sami Vatanen.

Keep a close eye on Manson. He could make a strong push to start the season in Anaheim, especially if Stoner and Holzer’s injuries linger. It will be interesting to see how he plays alongside Vatanen.

For the first time in his career, Lindholm will have an everyday defensive partner not named Francois Beauchemin, so pay attention to how Bieksa can compliment Lindholm.

One thing to also remember is that Boudreau is still the coach, so no lineup is ever 100% certain. Things may change before game time tonight.

Stay tuned for reactions to tonight’s game.

Next: Anaheim Ducks Nick Ritchie Surviving Roster Cuts

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