Game 61: Anaheim Faces Big Test In Vegas

Graphic: NHL

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks(29-20-11) continue the road trip against the Vegas Golden Knights (39-15-4). The Ducks are 0-2-1 against the Golden Knights this season. The game starts at 7:00 PM PT and will be on Prime Ticket locally and AM 830.

Anaheim Outlook:

For the second game in a row, the Ducks rallied to win. They got down 2-0 to Chicago and were able to win 3-2 in regulation. In the game against the Wild, Minnesota had a 2-1 lead to start the third period, but the Anaheim was able to rally and win in a shootout. Ryan Kesler did not play in the game against the Wild being listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Kesler will travel to Vegas, but his status is questionable for the game. If he doesn’t play, then it’s likely Derek Grant will play in his spot as he did against the Wild. The Ducks are traveling today so the lineup won’t be known until closer to game time.

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Keys To The Game

The Ducks haven’t beaten Vegas this season. They are going to have to play exceptional defense and the starting goalie is going to have to stand on his head. Vegas is second in the league in goals scored per game. The Henrique line has been on fire lately, but Anaheim is going to need a full 60-minute effort from everyone if they want to earn two points in Sin City.

Anaheim’s Projected Lineup:

Offense
Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano – Derek Grant – Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie – Adam Henrique – Ondrej Kase
Chris Wagner – Antoine Vermette – J.T. Brown

Defense
Cam Fowler  – Josh Manson
Francois Beauchemin – Hampus Lindholm
Marcus Pettersson – Brandon Montour

In Net
John Gibson, 21-15-6, GAA 2.55, SV% .924 (Probable)

Vegas’s Outlook:

Vegas continues to lead the way in the league with 82 points. The Golden Knights are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. They are 22-4-2 at home this season. William Karlsson leads the team with 30 goals. Vegas also has three 20 goal scorers James Neal(24), Erik Haula(22), and Jon Marchessault(21).

Keys To The Game

Vegas has been winning with their second best offense in the league which averages 3.45 goals per game. The ability to roll four lines that can score is what causes their opponents to have matchup problems. As long as they continue with their balanced attack they should win the Pacific Division and possibly be the number one seed come playoff time in the Western Conference.

Vegas’s  Projected Lineup:

Offense
Reilly Smith – William Karlsson – Jon Marchessault
David Perron – Erik Haula – James Neal
Brendan Leipsic –Cody Eakin – Alex Tuch
Tomas Nosek – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Ryan Carpenter

Defense
Brayden McNabb – Nate Schmidt
Deryk Engelland – Luca Sbisa
Colin Miller – Brad Hunt

In Net
Marc-Andre Fleury, 19-6-2, GAA 2.06, SV% .932 (Confirmed)

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February 19th, 2017