Reinforcements
The Ducks were able to shore up their depleted lineup Monday Night. Chris Stewart, Ryan Kesler and Sami Vatanen returned to the team in time to faceoff against Edmonton. Three players Anaheim needed to get back.
On the minus side of the ledger, there are still injuries to deal with. Kevin Bieksa and Josh Manson are banged up, they are game time decisions for coach Bruce Boudreau. If needed, Korbinian Holzer, who missed the last game with an illness, should be able to return. Anaheim did not call up a defenseman, so one of the three will play.
Transactions
Earlier today, the Ducks signed two college players to entry level contracts. Goaltender Kevin Boyle from UMASS – Lowell, the co-Hockey East player of the year and St. Cloud State center Kalle Kosilla have joined the organization.
Chris Stewart's return allowed the team to send Nick Ritchie back to San Diego. The 2014 10th overall pick needs some more seasoning, but he is improving with every outing. He should compete for a roster spot this summer.
Calgary @ Ducks
A win tonight puts the Ducks back into first place in the Pacific Division. There are seven games to go, so the race to the summit will likely come down to the wire.
Anaheim's favorite visiting opponents come back to the Honda Center tonight. The Ducks have beaten the Calgary Flames 22 times in a row at home. The streak goes back to 2004. Boudreau isn't putting this one in the win column just yet. He told Ducks.com, “We don’t talk about it. Every game is a different entity. Hopefully we’ll be successful tonight and wake up in the morning going, oh yeah. It’s another win.…
John Gibson should be back in the crease tonight if Boudreau sticks to the same goalie rotation. The odd forward out of the lineup is likely Mike Santorelli. Here is the likely lineup for tonight.
Forwards Pirri-Getzlaf-Stewart McGinn-Rakell-Perry Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg Thompson-Horcoff-Garbutt
Defensemen Fowler-Theodore Lindholm-Holzer Stoner-Vatanen
Goalies Gibson Andersen