ARTHUR:
Leftovers and hockey. Mmmmmm.
The OCR has done some diligent reporting on roster changes as Chipchura, Selanne and Lupul's availability were all in limbo in the wake of Sutton's activation and Carter's trade. The moves and uncertainty resulted in some extra travel time for at least one of Sexton, McMillan and Bonino.
The line rushes that Eric Stephens reported from Thanksgiving practice have Sexton taking Selanne's spot on the second line, McMillan-Bonino-Marchant bringing up the third line, and Chipchura between Parros and Voros on the fourth line. No notes on defensive pairings.
With some added youthful exuberance and rested players, might we see some unfamiliar energy in those unfamiliar uniforms at Ponda Center this afternoon? I say keep the faith. If you can believe Cam Fowler is participating in Movember, as he claims, then you can believe in the possibility of seeing a little more effort out there through three periods from these new look Ducks.
It's the battle of the empty hands (kara-tes?) this afternoon with the Blackhawks and Ducks slowly being pushed out of the points race and the playoff picture while other teams play the almost half-dozen games in hand they had on both Anaheim and Chicago. If everyone were at 23 or 24 games played today, this might be a matchup of the Western Conference's 13th and 14th place squads. And barring fortuitous losing streaks, it kind of is.
FOWL!
Tanya Lyon speaking with the recent roster questionable players (Selanne, Lupul and Chipchura) for the OC Register.