Anaheim Ducks Are Ready For A Big Game Tonight In St. Louis
The Anaheim Ducks are in St. Louis tonight for their final matchup of the season with the Blues, here’s what you need to know.
The Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues have split the season series thus far but will break that tie tonight in their final matchup of the regular season. Puck drop is at 5 P.M (PT), here is what you need to know before things get under way.
Freddie time
Bruce Boudreau is sticking to his goalie rotation of two consecutive starts for each net-minder. That means Freddie Andersen, who has not lost a game in regulation since mid December, is back between the pipes.
Jake Allen will be in net for the Blues, who will have some goalie drama of their own come playoff time, as Brian Elliot remains out with an injury.
Vatanen out, Holzer in
Sami Vatanen played about 5 minutes on Wednesday night against Colorado as he left the game after being hit up high and he will not play tonight. He is considered day-to-day at this point.
Korbinian Holzer will draw in for the first time since the end of January.
Shawn Horcoff eligible to return, but may not play
An interesting development on the Shawn Horcoff front. His 20 game suspension has ended and he is eligible to play tonight but it appears that he will be a healthy scratch.
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This is interesting as Horcoff played a big role in the Ducks bottom 6 and on the penalty kill before he was nailed with the 20 game PED suspension. There is no word yet on why Horcoff won’t play, but it appears Boudreau will continue to use the same 12 forwards that played a part in the Ducks 14 game point streak.
Injury updates
Brandon Pirri and Chris Stewart are still not ready and Alex Steen remains out for the Blues. Alex Pietrangelo has recently returned from injury and continues to be the minutes eater on the St. Louis blue-line.
Shaking things up
Nick Ritchie has been playing on the Ducks top line recently next to Getzlaf and Perron but it appears that Ryan Garbutt, who has gotten a few looks on the top line recently, may move up to take Ritchie’s spot.
That would mean Ritchie takes a spot on the 4th line left wing next to Nate Thompson and Mike Santorelli. Ritchie is still searching for his first NHL goal and some recent poor decisions and bad penalties may have led to his 4th line demotion.
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Holzer will likely play with Simon Despres but could be paired with Kevin Bieksa at times as well if a Fowler-Despres reunion ensues.
Final thoughts
The Blues are riding a 4 game winning streak and are coming off of a big win against the Blackhawks. A big two points are on the line tonight as both teams sit just one point back of first place in their division. Follow us on twitter for all Ducks news and live game reactions and updates.