There are some things that just go together- peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, pizza and ranch dressing - the Anaheim Ducks and injuries.
The Ducks long-standing battle with the injury ninja is well documented and it's very, very sad.
Another promising season derailed by injuries, but is there an end in sight? Perhaps. It sounds like some of the un-well Ducks and getting well again.
Ducks are officially taking Corey Perry off IR. Everything lining up for his return (read: season debut) tomorrow vs Winnipeg.
— The Mayor John Hoven (@mayorNHL) February 1, 2019
Obviously, could be a huge boost for Anaheim as they begin their playoff push.
Perry isn't the prolific scorer he once was, but he can and I believe will, help the Ducks down the stretch. Last season he collected 49 points (17g/32a) in 71 games.
He hasn't reached the 20-goal mark in either of the last two seasons, but he scored at least 33 in the previous three and if anything, he will bring some spark back to a lifeless group.
Perry was skating with Rickard Rakell and captain Ryan Getzlaf in practice. I love the sound of that. Getz and Perry have made magic in the past. Can they do it again?
Perry may not be alone in returning. He could soon be joined by trade-bait, Jakob Silfverberg and injury-plagued Patrick Eaves.
Silfverberg missed the past four games with a leg injury. His return is also a welcome sight because he leads the team with 12 goals in 42 games this season. Yes, that is a low number. Yes, the offense is that bad.
Eaves played in only five games this season before he was shut down. This after playing in two games all of last season. I'm not sure how effective he will be, but the fans love him.
At this point, anything is better than what the Ducks' have been rolling onto the ice of late. They have been brutal to watch. Anaheim's offense ranks second-to-last in the league with 117 goals for in 51 games and they haven't scored more than four goals in a game since early December. Sheesh.
Right now they are only one point out of the second Wild Card spot. That's the good news.
The bad news? The Ducks have a brutal stretch ahead coming out of the bye week. They hit the road for fives games against Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Philadelphia.
They have to win at least three of those games to keep pace in the playoff race. Let's hope the return of some old blood means the return of some good old-fashioned Ducks' hockey.
Thanks for reading, Steve