Game 60: Ducks Look Move Ahead of The Wild
By Michael Walters
The Anaheim Ducks(28-20-11) continue the road trip against the Minnesota Wild (31-20-6). The game starts at 11:00 AM PT and will be on Prime Ticket locally and AM 830.
Anaheim Outlook:
The Ducks got down 2-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks and it looked like they were headed for another loss. Anaheim’s third line would have none of that as Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase, and Adam Henrique would each score to bring the Ducks back and eventually ahead at 3-2. The comeback kids of old appeared in the last game, which is something we haven’t seen much of this season. Marcus Pettersson made his NHL debut and he played well blocking a few shots and being a +2 on the night.
Keys To The Game
The Ducks have fallen behind 2-0 in their last two games and were able to come back in the game against Chicago. Minnesota has been very good as of late at home, so the Ducks need to score first. Anaheim still needs to work on taking fewer penalties. They took five in the game against Chicago and were burned once.
Anaheim’s Projected Lineup:
Offense
Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie – Adam Henrique – J.T. Brown
Chris Wagner – Derek Grant – Antoine Vermette
Defense
Cam Fowler – Josh Manson
Francois Beauchemin – Hampus Lindholm
Marcus Pettersson – Brandon Montour
In Net
John Gibson, 20-15-6, GAA 2.57, SV% .923 (Unconfirmed)
Minnesota’s Outlook:
The Wild had a 13-game point streak on home ice until they lost this past Thursday to Washington. They had gone 10-0-3 at home during that time span. The Wild are currently holding down the second wild-card spot. They are one point in front of the Ducks.
Keys To The Game
In their last 10 games, the Wild have averaged just over three goals a game. They have only lost twice in that span when they score three goals. The Wild have the 9th ranked power play in the league at 21.4%. So look for the Wild to try to draw penalties against Anaheim early in this contest.
Minnesota’s Projected Lineup:
Offense
Nino Niederreiter – Mikko Koivu – Mikael Granlund
Jason Zucker – Eric Staal – Chris Stewart
Zach Parise – Joel Eriksson Ek – Charlie Coyle
Tyler Ennis – Daniel Winnik – Marcu Foligno
Defense
Gustav Olofsson – Mathew Dumba
Ryan Suter – Jared Spurgeon
Nick Seeler – Nate Prosser
In Net
Devan Dubnyk, 23-11-4, GAA 2.62, SV% .918 (Unconfirmed)
Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!
DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!
February 17th, 2017