Game 18: Minnesota vs Anaheim
By Michael Walters
Minnesota(7-6-0) vs Anaheim(6-8-3)
Pregame Show: DucksNPucks Podcast
TV: 6:00 PM PT/9:00 PM ET, Fox Sports West
Radio & Post Game Show: KLAA AM 830
Anaheim Outlook
The Ducks battled the Minnesota Wild on Thursday and lost 3-1. Anaheim couldn’t even get a shot on goal until the last few minutes in the first period. The Ducks were called for many penalties and couldn’t get the offense going again.
To add insult to injury, Hampus Lindholm did not play in the third period of the game. He suffered a lower body injury and will not play tonight. Josh Mahura will play and make his season debut according to Dallas Eakins.
Poor starts, inconsistent play, and scoring have been issues for the Ducks this season. The Ducks average 1.88 goals a game, which ranks last in the league. They give up 2.59 against per game, which is 8th best in the NHL. The power play is only 8.1% efficient, which ranks 29th in the NHL. The penalty kill is ranked 3rd in the league at 87.0%.
Max Comtois leads the team in scoring with seven goals.
Team News:
Adam Henrique was placed on waivers this morning. In a corresponding move, David Backes was promoted to the roster from the Taxi Squad.
Josh Manson(oblique muscle) and Sonny Milano(upper-body) are both on the IR.
Kodie Curran, Brendan Guhle, Sonny Milano, and Anthony Stolarz were reassigned to the Gulls. Guhle and Milano are on conditioning loans and still listed on the LTIR.
Lukas Dostal and Jacob Perreault were added to the taxi squad.
Taxi Squad:
Chase De Leo
Lukas Dostal
Jacob Perreault
Andy Welinski
Projected Lineup
Offense:
Max Jones – Ryan Getzlaf– Troy Terry
Danton Heinen – Sam Steel – Jakob Silfverberg
Max Comtois – Isac Lundestrom – Rickard Rakell
Nicolas Deslauriers – David Backes – Carter Rowney
Defense:
Josh Mahura – Kevin Shattenkirk
Cam Fowler – Jani Hakanpaa
Ben Hutton – Jacob Larsson
In Net:
John Gibson 5-6-3 GAA 2.38, SV% .919 (Confirmed)
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Minnesota Outlook
The Wild have had a rough time this season with their play on the ice and also being shot players at times due to COVID. Minnesota did pull out a win against Anaheim on Thursday. It wasn’t a pretty game, but a late goal as time expired on a power play secured a 3-1 win.
The Wild average 2.54 per game, which ranks 23rd in the league. They give up 2.69 goals against per game, which is 14th in the NHL. Their power play is ranked last at 6.0% efficiency. The penalty is 85.7% efficient, which is 7th in the NHL.
Joel Eriksson Ek led the team in scoring with five goals.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Zach Parise– Joel Eriksson Ek– Kevin Fiala
Jordan Greenway – Marcus Johansson– Kirill Kaprizov
Marcus Foligno– Nick Bjugstad – Ryan Hartman
Mats Zuccarello– Luke Johnson – Gerald Mayhew
Defense
Ryan Suter – Calen Addison
Dakota Mermis – Mathew Dumba
Matt Bartkowski – Louis Belpedio
Goalie
Kaapo Kahkonen 4-4-0, GAA 2.65, SV% .905 (Confirmed)
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February 20th, 2021