The Anaheim Ducks can lock up a spot in the NHL’s second season with a win tonight. Minnesota can clinch third place in Central with a win. Something’s got to give.
Extra Time is Prime Time
Another game, another OT win. The Anaheim Ducks overcame an anemic start on Sunday and rallied back to beat Colorado in an overtime thriller. It was the fourth time in five games Anaheim has taken their opponent to overtime.
Ondrej Kase sent the crowd home happy with his goal only 1:34 into extra time. Coach Randy Carlyle realized it was a huge win, but also a stepping stone. He told NHL.com, “We found a way to tie the hockey game and Kase makes a big play in overtime to get us the extra point. These are big points. The next one is going to be bigger.”
It was a costly win, however as the Anaheim Ducks suffered a couple of big injuries. Goalie John Gibson left at the end of the first period after colliding with Gabriel Landeskog. He is day to day. Unfortunately, the news on Cam Fowler wasn’t as good. The defenseman will be out of action for two to five weeks with a shoulder injury.
News and Notes
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- Francois Beauchemin played in his 900th career NHL game on Sunday.
- Jakob Silfverberg became the ninth Anaheim Duck to reach 20 assists. Three more players also have a chance to reach 20.
- The Ducks are 22-10-4 since their five-day break ended on January 13.
- Rickard Rakell has 18 points in his last 15 games. He is five short of 200 for his career.
- Reto Berra was recalled to back up Ryan Miller tonight.
- For the fifth straight season, the Ducks have won 40 games. They need five more points to continue their 100 point season streak over the same period.
Minnesota @ Ducks
This wraps up the three-game series between Minnesota and the Anaheim Ducks aka The Bruce Boudreau Cup. The teams split their first two meetings, both 3-2 overtime affairs. As mentioned in the opening, there is plenty on the line for both teams tonight. Fowler is out for the Ducks and Minnesota has lost defenseman Ryan Suter for the rest of the year.
Fowler’s absence means Andy Welinski will take his spot in the lineup. He paired with Marcus Pettersson and Korbinian Holzer during this morning’s practice. The forward lines should remain mostly intact from Sunday. Ryan Miller draws the start in Anaheim’s goal. Here is the anticipated lineup:
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Forwards
Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry
Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg
Ritchie-Henrique-Kase
Brown/Kelly-Grant-Chimera
Defensemen
Lindholm-Manson
Montour-Beauchemin
Welinski-Pettersson
Goalies
Miller
Berra