Greeting from the Southeastern Command Center in Boynton Beach, Florida
Ducks 4 – Leafs NIL
Wednesday night, the Ducks played one of their best games all season. Corey Perry scored a hat trick and goalie Frederik Andersen stopped all 28 shots he faced to lead Anaheim to a 4-0 win over the Maple Leafs.
To a man the Ducks were relieved to win one with a little room to spare. Couch Bruce Boudreau told Ducks.com, “It’s nice to finally play a game that’s not a one-goal game. You can roll the lines a little bit, you’re calm behind the bench, and the players are calm and doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s something we hadn’t done in a long time.…
Perry added, “Every game we’ve won has felt like it’s been by one goal, so it’s nice to get a few goals, get a lead, and play with the lead for a while. It’s a better feeling than chasing a game.…
Beleskey Scratched
Time for an honesty check. When I saw that Matt Beleskey was a healthy scratch for the game, I was ready to slam Boudreau. Why did he bench a guy that had scored 17 goals in a half a season? Was it a message to the team that he wouldn't tolerate another performance like the one against New York on Sunday? Was he sending a warning to Beleskey that he better shake off his recent downturn? Whatever the message, Boudreau pressed the right buttons and the Ducks responded.
Vatanen Fined
For the first time in his brief career, Sami Vatanen has been punished by the NHL's Department of Player Safety. A fine just shy of $4,000 was assessed to the Finnish defenseman for his high elbow to Toronto's David Booth. There was no intent to injure, but Vatanen owned up to his mistake and accepted responsibility.
Devils on the Pond
Tonight's opponent for the Ducks is the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have struggled this season and enter the contest without their top player Jaromir Jagr. The home team can't take this one lightly because they are tied with Nashville for the Western Conference points lead but have played two more games than the Predators.
This is the “easier… of the opponents the Ducks face in their back-to-back games tonight and tomorrow, so Boudreau has elected to start Ilya Bryzgalov in this contest and save Anderson for the following day. If Bryz has another disappointing showing tonight, it might be time to move him out. Matt Beleskey will return to the lineup, but move down to the fourth line. Here is tonight's expected lineup:
Forwards Maroon-Getzlaf-Perry Bourque-Kesler-Palmieri Cogliano-Thompson-Silfverberg Beleskey-Rakell-DSP
Defensemen Fowler-Lovejoy Lindholm-Beauchemin Stoner-Vatanen
Goalies Bryzgalov Andersen
-Ed