ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Ducks take on the Detroit Red Wings in their final game of a six-game homestand. The Ducks are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 13 while the Red Wings are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 13.
Tonight’s matchup pits two of the league’s lowest-scoring teams. The Ducks are dead last with 2.2 goals per game while the Red Wings are fourth-worst with 2.47 goals per game. The Ducks are also dead last in goals for with 33 while the Red Wings are second-worst with 37 goals for.
Related: Ducks vs Red Wings Pre-Game Stat Pack
“There’s this dynamic where we have this unwillingness to shoot pucks,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. “I think there’s value to a shot that comes from anywhere on the ice where there’s bodies going at the net. That (value) increases when it gets down there. And when you choose not to shoot it, you’re basically taking away an opportunity to create chaos and create a great scoring chance.”
Defenseman Drew Helleson will make his season debut after being a healthy scratch against the Golden Knights. He was recalled from AHL San Diego on Wednesday after Cam Fowler and Robby Fabbri were placed on injured reserve. Helleson will slot in for Urho Vaakanainen, who suffered an injury against the Golden Knights. His timeline is currently unknown.
“I think (Helleson is) going to be very physical,” Cronin said. “I think he’s going to be dependable defensively. He’s got that length and that size. I’m looking forward to watching him tonight.”
Helleson will be paired with Olen Zellweger tonight. The two player spent the majority of last season together in the AHL, though they were not regular defensive partners.
(Zellweger is) a skilled player,” Helleson said. “It’s pretty awesome when you get a chance to play with him. He’s a guy you want to give the puck (to) and let him go to work. I’ll try to make it simple for him tonight and get the puck out of our zone and then let him go to work in the offensive zone.”
Helleson said he’s focused on playing a simple game and being hard to play against in the defensive zone, something that Cronin outlined with him during a long meeting yesterday while they discussed the slight system differences between Anaheim and San Diego.
“It’s a little bit different than what we had in San Diego,” Helleson said. “He did a great job of explaining it through video.”
Ducks Projected Lines
Alex Killorn – Leo Carlsson – Ryan Strome
Frank Vatrano – Trevor Zegras – Troy Terry
Brock McGinn – Isac Lundeström – Brett Leason
Cutter Gauthier – Jansen Harkins – Ross Johnston
Jackson LaCombe – Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov – Brian Dumoulin
Olen Zellweger – Drew Helleson
John Gibson (confirmed)
Red Wings Projected Lines
Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Andrew Copp – J.T. Compher – Patrick Kane
Jonatan Berggren – Marco Kasper – Vladimir Tarasenko
Michael Rasmussen – Joe Veleno – Christian Fischer
Simon Edvinsson – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Albert Johansson – Erik Gustafsson
Alex Lyon (confirmed)
Indications Suggest the Ducks are Satisfied with Zegras’ Progress
Anaheim Ducks Prospect Spotlight: Austin Burnevik Named NCHC Rookie of the Week
Read the full article here