ANAHEIM -- The next time the Anaheim Ducks defend home ice they still won't have anything close to a healthy defensive rotation. It might not happen for a while with four of their top six defensemen on the mend, not to mention their co-No. 1 goalie.
It might not matter if the offense gets even stronger.
The Ducks got veteran center Saku Koivu back Friday, and its top line provided the opening and finishing touches in a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames at Honda Center.
Anaheim did what was expected against an injury-depleted Calgary team and remains the only NHL team without a regulation loss at home (10-0-1). The victory was as predictable as a Black Friday shopping spree: Anaheim extended its home-winning streak against Calgary to 18 games, dating to Jan. 19, 2004.
Koivu got two assists after he missed 15 games with an upper-body injury. He was reunited with linemates Daniel Winnik and Andrew Cogliano, and the line had a goal and four assists.
Winnik took a pass from Koivu and fed Cogliano for a backhand off a rush for a 4-1 lead 8:21 into the second period. Koivu's most impressive move of the game might have been a drive around Christopher Breen in the third.
The Dustin Penner-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry line had three goals and three assists. Penner tipped in Getzlaf's shot-pass for a 3-0 lead 3:52 into the second period and hammered home Getzlaf's pass to make it 5-2 11:26 into the third.
Getzlaf has points in nine straight games he's played (the streak was interrupted by a three-game injury absence) and is his longest string since an 11-game point streak in November 2009. Penner's eighth and ninth goals represent his most since the 2010-11 season split between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.
Calgary played without rookie center Sean Monahan and defenseman Dennis Wideman. Monahan is week-to-week with a hairline fracture in his foot, and Wideman is out six to eight weeks with a broken hand.
Monahan, 19, is second among NHL rookies in scoring, and Wideman is sixth in the NHL in ice time. Each clearly was missed at the outset when the Flames were outshot 14-6 in the first period; it ended 41-21.
It was Anaheim's defensemen that helped provide a 2-0 lead. Sami Vatanen slapped the puck into an open net after Reto Berra got out of position trying to defend Cogliano 12:20 into the first period. A little less than a minute later, Ben Lovejoy sent a low shot Perry redirected under Berra for his team-leading 14th goal.
Christmas Music, DVD's, Books, Gifts
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman73/christmas.html
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment