If the Anaheim Ducks are going to punch their playoff ticket, they may have to do it with the services of both Cam Fowler and John Gibson.

INJURY UPDATES:

Defenseman Cam Fowler suffered a shoulder injury against Colorado and is out for 2-6 weeks.

Goaltender John Gibson, who suffered an upper-body injury against Colorado, is day-to-day.

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 3, 2018

Gibson was shaken up late in the first period of the Ducks come-from-behind win over Colorado on Sunday night. He was replaced by Ryan Miller after the first period. Miller did enough to keep his team in the game and gave them a chance to complete the comeback.

Gibson has an injury history, from his groin to his head. Let's hope he just tweaked something and can back between the pipes before too long.

Fowler sustained an upper-body injury later in that same Colorado game. The team said he will be sidelined from two to six weeks. This one is a bit of gut punch.

The Ducks have managed without Gibson several times this season. Miller's proven himself more than capable of handing the starting goalie duties. Replacing Fowler on the other hand - that's going to be a bit more daunting. The Ducks are already without Kevin Bieksa who is still recovering from hand surgery.

Fowler is Anaheim's rock on the blueline, a heart and soul guy that bleeds orange. His loss in the rest of the league's gain. Hopefully, he pulls a Patrick Laine and miraculously recovers over night. Not likely, but the quicker the better.

Fortunately, Anaheim does have some depth on the back-end. Injuries have been a way of life for the Ducks this season. They will be fine - they've shown that time and time again. This is no different. This just means we get to see more of the young guys in these last few games and I'm fine with that.

Meanwhile, the Ducks still have a playoff birth to clinch. They host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday at Honda Center. The Wild are already in. They accomplished that with a big home victory on Monday night. It's Anaheim's turn. They can clinch as early as Wednesday - IF - they defeat Minny and the Blues lose in any way to Chicago.

The Ducks remain in the top spot in the wild card, but I imagine they have their sights set on moving up in the standings. The orange alliance sit two points ahead of Colorado with a game in hand, they are one point behind L.A. for third place in the Pacific Division and only three points behind San Jose for second in the Pacific.

Yes, they still have a shot at second place and home ice in the first round. First things first - beat the Wild.

Thanks for reading,
Steve

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