Canes at Ducks
The Carolina Hurricanes are in town to take on the Ducks. This is the first of two games in ten days against the Metropolitan Division cellar dwellers. Part two of this series will be on February 12.
As matchups go this one should be manageable, but the way the Ducks have been playing lately, nothing should be taken for granted. Expect Anaheim to come out of the gate swinging. "There's a lot of pride in the room," coach Bruce Boudreau told Ducks.com. "We're upset that we've lost two. It doesn't mean we're not going to lose three, but they're sure cognizant of that fact."
Boudreau will juggle his lineup tonight. Matt Beleskey and Pat Maroon will switch lines as Beleskey joins the top line and Maroon goes to the left of Ryan Kesler on the second. Boudreau said he does this from time to time in order to keep his players sharp. Additionally, Clayton Stoner didn't practice yesterday due to illness so Eric Brewer may draw into the lineup in his place. Brewer had been on IR since injuring his foot in early December.
Frederik Andersen will return to the Ducks net in an effort to rebound from his less than Andersen-like performance last Friday. The Ducks should lineup like this:
Forwards Beleskey-Getzlaf-Perry Maroon-Kesler-Palmieri Cogliano-Rakell-Silfverberg Jackman-Thompson-DSP
Defensemen Fowler-Lovejoy Lindholm-Beauchemin Brewer-Vatanen
Goalies Andersen Bryzgalov
I'll be back tomorrow with more commentary.
-Ed