Update: 14:30 PST Cam Fowler should be able to play tonight. Here is the projected lineup:
Forwards Etem-Getzlaf-DSP Beleskey-Kesler-Silfverberg Cogliano-Karlsson-Rakell Maroon-Thompson-Jackman
Defensemen Fowler-Stoner Lindholm-Manson Allen-Vatanen
Goalies Andersen LaBarbera
Just a quick thought here. The Ducks are hard pressed to score goals and Dany Heatley is a healthy scratch again. It doesn't bode well for his future with the organization.
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As the Ducks prepare for the renewal of “The Battle of SoCal.… they will probably be a bit shorthanded. Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin are doubtful with what the team has described as a viral glandular infection. If they are a no go tonight, it will be Perry's fourth and Beauchemin's second straight game missed due to this illness.
Team captain Ryan Getzlaf told Ducks.com that the due to the risks, keeping Perry and Beauchemin away from the rest of the team is necessary. “Any time you have guys missing time like this, there’s concern that comes around your group and trying to contain it as much as you can,… he said. “Unfortunately, in a locker room, it’s hard to contain these things. We’ve kept those guys away from the rink as much as we can to let them get better and feeling 100 percent before they return.…
Unfortunately the injury report doesn't end there. Cam Fowler, practiced yesterday. He sustained an LBI last Friday against Arizona. The defenseman will wait to see how he feels closer to puck drop before making a decision whether to play tonight. He should be in the lineup, but nothing is certain.
The Ducks enter tonight's game on a three game losing streak. It is quite possibly the best losing streak in the history of the team. Really. Even though Anaheim has lost three straight games, they have earned a point in each contest. During the cold spell, they were: missing their top scorer, playing their ninth and tenth defenseman, forced to suit up a 45 year old coach to back up a minor league call up in goal in one contest. The rest of the league should take advantage of the Ducks now because when the team gets healthy, the opposition will be hard pressed to take points from them.
On the bright side, RW Kyle Palmieri is now day-to-day as he works toward returning to the lineup after suffering a knee injury during the preseason. In addition, top prospect Shea Theodore has recovered from his injury and was returned to his junior team, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.
I'll be back with a lineup update later today.
-Ed