ARTHUR:
Last year, the Ducks followed up their season opening 4-1 loss to the Sharks with an overtime 4-3 loss to the Wild. The year before that, they followed up their season opening 4-1 loss to the Sharks (yeah, you read that right) with a 4-2 loss to the Coyotes. The year before that, they followed up their 4-1 loss to the Kings in London, England with a 4-1 win against the Kings in London, England (though they would go on to lose their first three games stateside).
Now, none of that is meant to predict an outcome for tonight's game. None of those teams were the same, and they certainly aren't the same as this team. The fans, however, were the same. And Ducks fans have been, sadly, conditioned for the let down lately. I would describe my expectations of a Ducks season as identical to my understanding of Daylight Savings Time: spring forward; fall back.
Per Helene Elliott's Twitter this morning, the Ducks have recalled Brett Festerling from Syracuse in response to Andy Sutton's broken thumb. No lineup notes in Stephens' rundown this morning, but it sounds as if you may see Hiller again and Luca Sbisa for the first time tonight.
I did the preview for Chris Burton and On the Forecheck, so check out their Gameday Preview if you're interested in their lineups for this game (including former Duck Shane O'Brien).
Post any game info and lineup changes in the comments.
FOWL!