Ducks fans looking for the Wiz, don’t shoot the messenger!
After enjoying a bit of R & R in scenic Banff, Alberta, the Anaheim Ducks return to the scene of the crime tonight as they take on the Calgary Flames in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals in the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The good news is that the Ducks have both John Gibson and Thomas Fleischmann available tonight. Fleischmann will play on a line with Andrew Cogliano and Rickard Rakell, pushing Kyle Palmieri down to the fifth line. Gibson, meanwhile, will start the game on the bench and will only be called upon should Frederik Andersen struggle or experience an injury.
Fleischmann’s return gives the Ducks solid depth up the middle of the ice according to head coach Bruce Boudreau:
"It’s always nice to have five potential centermen in the lineup because it’s such an important position. He’s a veteran of many playoffs and he played really well for us in the Winnipeg series. He’s a skilled player, but he’s played in tough situations before. He’ll bring a little bit of that to our game tonight."
I said it before: Anaheim’s top line is going to get its points, as it did in Game 3, but if the Ducks truly want to dispose of the Flames quickly (and contend for Lord Stanley’s Cup) the team is going to need points from more than just its big three. Maybe Fleischmann can spark the fourth line to a goal tonight.
Enough with the good news, though: if you’re one of THESE sorts of people . . .
I was hoping to see Cakes and Wiz draw into the lineup tonight. #IwantCakes
— Tasha (@WeWillQuackYou) May 8, 2015
the thing about Wiz not playing is that he had the biggest cost of any acquisition
— Beneath the Scope (@BeneathScope) May 8, 2015
. . . then you won’t love to hear that James Wisniewski is still being held out of the lineup. If it makes you feel better, Clayton Stoner did lead the Ducks in hits in Game 3 (5), although I don’t think that justifies the amount of minutes he is getting, since he has zero points in the playoffs so far and was responsible for the delayed penalty that allowed Calgary to go 6-on-5 in overtime and push the winning goal past Andersen.
But what do I know?
Tonight’s game kicks-off at 9:30/6:30 P. Follow me @pucksofafeather as I live-Tweet! Let’s Go Ducks!
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