Anaheim Ducks Line Rushes vs. Minnesota Wild: 10/17/2014
By Jason Byun
There appears to be only one major lineup change after the Anaheim Ducks’ four game road trip to start the season. After his call-up, rookie Chris Wagner will draw into the lineup tonight for his NHL debut in place of Rickard Rakell. Matt Beleskey will again skate on the top line. The winger has scored a goal in three consecutive games. Patrick Maroon was added to the injured reserve and will miss four weeks with an MCL sprain, joining Kyle Palmieri and Dany Heatley on the IR.
Anaheim Ducks Forward Lines:
Beleskey – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Emerson Etem – Ryan Kesler – Devante Smith-Pelly
Andrew Cogliano – William Karlsson – Jakob Silfverberg
Wagner – Nate Thompson – Tim Jackman
On defense, there appear to be no changes for the Ducks. Bryan Allen was also moved to the injured reserve, and the timetable for his return is still unknown. Veteran Francois Beauchemin logged a team-high 25:14 in the win over the Philadelphia Flyers. His defense partner, Hampus Lindholm, currently has a two game point streak. Meanwhile, Clayton Stoner has his first game against his former club.
Anaheim Ducks Defense Pairings:
Cam Fowler – Ben Lovejoy
Beauchemin – Lindholm
Stoner – Sami Vatanen
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For the Minnesota Wild, the team will be playing its first game since October 11th, which was a 3-0 shutout of the Colorado Avalanche. Veteran winger Zach Parise leads the Wild with two goals and four points. Young Finn Mikael Granlund is continuing to improve after breaking out during the Sochi Olympics last year, centering the top line. He has two assists this season. Mikko Koivu, the younger brother of long-time Duck Saku Koivu, will be centering the second line.
Minnesota Wild Forward Lines:
Parise – Granlund – Jason Pominville
Thomas Vanek – Koivu – Justin Fontaine
Nino Niederreiter – Erik Haula – Charlie Coyle
Matt Cooke – Ryan Carter – Jason Zucker
The Wild blue-line is anchored by iron-man Ryan Suter, who has averaged a “mere” 26:55 of ice time in the first two games. His partner, Jonas Brodin, will be playing his first game since signing a six-year extension worth $25 million. Meanwhile, Keith Ballard will draw into the lineup for the first time this season.
Minnesota Wild Defense Pairings:
Suter – Brodin
Marco Scandella – Jared Spurgeon
Ballard – Mathew Dumba
In net, Frederik Andersen (3-0-0, 1.95 GAA, .928 SV%) gets his fourth straight start for the Ducks. It seems that in the early going, he has won the starting netminder job from John Gibson, who will spend the weekend in the AHL getting games under his belt. Opposing Andersen will be Darcy Kuemper (2-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%), who has posted consecutive shutouts and stopped all 46 shots he has faced after a contract stalemate in the offseason.
Jason Byun is one of the editors for Pucks of a Feather. He can be found on Twitter. For more Anaheim Ducks coverage, follow Pucks of a Feather on Twitter or like us on Facebook.