Source: Daily News
Road is no refuge for Ducks as injuries continue to mount Lisa Dillman %%item_date%% %%item_source%%
Defenseman Jamie Drysdale suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at Vegas in the opening weeks of the season. Center Isac Lundestrom fractured his finger in Dallas in December, and forward Derek Grant suffered a lower-body injury in the next game of that trip in St. Paul, Minn.
More recently, the Ducks’ best player, All-Star forward Troy Terry, was put on injured reserve, having suffered an upper-body injury in Dallas on Feb. 6. Terry has 42 points in 51 games, six points behind leading scorer Trevor Zegras.
This isn’t a complete list but you get the idea … the road has been one injury-riddled path of potholes for the Ducks.
The theme continued on the road with a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Defenseman John Klingberg (lower-body injury) was a late scratch against the Lightning, and the Ducks’ third-leading scorer Adam Henrique left the game after a second-period collision in the Ducks’ crease and did not return due to a lower-body injury.
There is no timetable yet on Henrique, but Ducks coach Dallas Eakins on Wednesday said that Henrique won’t play against the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Klingberg is 50/50, according to Eakins.
The Ducks, who have lost six consecutive games, had a much-needed recovery day after the most recent run of injuries. Terry is on the trip with the team – having missed seven games – and has been skating. He was listed as “hopeful,” to play against the Capitals, according to Eakins.
In Terry’s absence, the Ducks have gone 1-5-1, with their only points in that stretch coming in an overtime win at Chicago on Feb. 7 and a 4-3 overtime loss at Florida on Monday.
ROOKIE WATCH
Among the Ducks’ dates to circle in these remaining weeks – other than that pivotal March 17 game against fellow minnow Columbus – are two games in Seattle against the Kraken, on March 7 and March 30.
Those will be the final head-to-head games between the league’s top two rookies, Kraken center Matty Beniers and Ducks center Mason McTavish. Heading into Wednesday’s slate, Beniers and McTavish were first and second in the rookie scoring race. Beniers had 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in 55 games, and McTavish 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 57 games. Winnipeg’s Cole Perfetti is third with 30 points in 51 games.
KIRKLAND WAIVED
Among the players placed on waivers on Wednesday was forward Justin Kirkland, per multiple reports. Kirkland appeared in seven games with the Ducks and hasn’t played since an automobile accident last month. Before his recall from AHL San Diego, Kirkland had 13 points in 19 games with the Gulls.
