The Ducks have to be feeling good about themselves after having torched the Nashville Predators two nights ago. Regardless if the Preds were tired or not, the Ducks bounced back strongly from a disappointing loss to their freeway foes, the Kings.
The line of Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were the story of the game. The trio combined for nine points, including KP's first career hat trick. Getzlaf and Perry grabbed the assists on all three of Palmieri's goals. It was a special night for Palmieri, but I saw it a different way.
1. Putting Palmieri with Perry and Getzlaf was just another example of head coach Bruce Boudreau pushing all the right buttons. It doesn't seem to matter who Boudreau sticks with #10 and #15 they will benefit in some way, and the other night it was Palmieri putting together a career game.
2. Can you imagine these guys not being re-signed? The captain leads the team with 21 points (6g 15a) and Perry is keeping pace with a respectable 17 points (5g 12a). Getzlaf has 11 points in his last four games, and Perry has 11 in his current six-game streak. Anaheim needs to keep both of these guys.
I know Teemu Selanne is basically the face of the franchise today, but Perry and Getzlaf are what makes this team competitive and relevant in today's NHL.
***
WILD (10-7-2) at DUCKS (14-3-1)
Tonight's opponent should be nice and tired too, (thank you schedule makers). The Wild played in Phoenix last night, a 4-3 win over the Coyotes, giving them four wins in the last five. Minnesota currently sits second in the Northwest Division, two points behind the Vancouver Canucks.
Minnesota made a splash this summer when they signed both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to matching long-term contracts. So far, so good. Parise leads the Wild in goals scored and is tied with Mikko Koivu for the overall points lead with 14. Suter is right behind them with 12 points.
Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom is 5-1-1 in his last seven games. (Will sit tonight)
Probable lineups per Curtis Zupke (subject to change):
Ducks:
Kyle Palmieri - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Matt Beleskey - Bobby Ryan - Teemu Selanne
Andrew Cogliano - Saku Koivu - Daniel Winnik
Patrick Maroon - Nick Bonino - Emerson Etem
Toni Lydman - Francois Beauchemin
Luca Sbisa - Cam Fowler
Bryan Allen - Ben Lovejoy
Jonas Hiller (Starter)
Viktor Fasth
Scratched: Sheldon Souray, Brad Staubitz
Wild:
Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Charlie Coyle
Dany Heatley - Mikael Granlund - Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Jason Zucker - Matt Cullen - Devin Setoguchi
Mike Rupp - Torrey Mitchell - Kyle Brodziak
Ryan Suter - Jonas Brodin
Clayton Stoner - Jared Spurgeon
Justin Falk - Tom Gilbert
Darcy Kuemper
Niklas Backstrom
Scratched: Zenon Konopka, Nate Prosser
Injured: Cal Clutterbuck (lower body)
***
The Ducks have won seven straight games at home, leaving them all alone with the longest home streak in the NHL this season. Anaheim has also won seven-of-eight games overall (7-1-0) and 11 of 13 (11-2-0).
Anaheim's 14-3-1 has been great, but not their best. They are just one point shy of the best start in franchise history (2006-07 - Cup year). A win tonight and the Ducks will reach 31 points in only 19 games played.
Not bad, nope, not bad at all.
***
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