/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65617751/927222584.jpg.0.jpg)
It all began on opening night. October 5th, 2005. A 20-year-old Ryan Getzlaf and his full head of hair made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. It’s only fitting that Getzlaf, now the franchise’s career leader in assists and approaching Teemu Selanne’s lead in points, plays his 1,000th career NHL game tonight against the very team he began his career against.
When the puck drops tonight, Getzlaf will become the eighth active player and the 53rd all time to play 1,000 games with the same team. Not only that, his 1,000th game comes on the same night the Ducks will play their 2,000th game as a franchise. The captain has been with the team for half its life, and has been one of its most important players for every single one of those games.
Getzlaf’s entire family will be in the building, likely along with several of Getzlaf’s closest friends and former teammates throughout the years. A pregame ceremony will pre-empt puck drop before the tilt against Chicago begins.
The Blackhawks have not taken the step forward many thought they would take with some of the high-end talent still on the roster. With a record of 3-6-3, the days of the dynasty Blackhawks are long gone as they continue with their rebuild.
One of the bright spots for Chicago this season has been goaltender Robin Lehner. Lehner is currently rocking a .938 sv% and a 4.66 GSAx (goals saved above expected), ranking 5th in the league. With Corey Crawford playing last night, Lehner should get the start in net against the Ducks.
The rivalry might not be as intense as it was in years past with Ryan Kesler not available to get under the skin of Jonathan Toews, but with players like Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Adam Boqvist, and 2019 third overall pick Kirby Dach in the lineup, this game should give fans plenty of entertainment. Even with Chicago coming off an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings last night.
This matchup should give the Ducks a great opportunity to get back to a more fundamentally sound game. Despite winning their last two, they were outplayed for much of that time. That kind of play is not sustainable, so having an easier opponent could allow Anaheim to start shooting again.
With the news of Max Jones being sent down to the San Diego Gulls yesterday, all signs point towards Ondrej Kase returning to the lineup after missing the last four games due to a jaw injury sustained in a collision against the Dallas Stars. Fortunately, Kase passed concussion protocol, and only had to record from the jaw issues instead of a career-threatening fourth head injury.
ANAHEIM DUCKS vs VANCOUVER CANUCKS
ANAHEIM DUCKS | versus | CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS |
---|---|---|
ANAHEIM DUCKS | versus | CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS |
9-6-0 | Record | 3-6-3 |
3rd Pacific, 6th West, 12th NHL | Standings | 6th Central, 13th West, 27th NHL |
2.73 (23rd) | GF/GP | 2.33 (29th) |
2.40 (6th) | GA/GP | 3.08 (16th) |
8.3% (30th) | Power Play | 11.8% (28th) |
81.5% (16th) | Penalty Kill | 79.5% (21st) |
TEAM STAT LEADERS | STAT | TEAM STAT LEADERS |
Adam Henrique (8) | Goals | Kane, DeBrincat, Strome (3) |
Hampus Lindholm (9) | Assists | Patrick Kane (7) |
Jakob Silfverberg (12) | Points | Patrick Kane (10) |
Ryan Getzlaf (2) | PPG | Alex DeBrincat (2) |
Jakob SIlfverberg (2) | SHG | Brandon Saad (1) |
Hampus Lindholm (21:45) Jakob Silfverberg (18:03) | TOI/GP (D&F) | Duncan Keith (24:50), Patrick Kane (21:07) |
Adam Henrique (55.97) Cam Fowler (52.61) | CF% 5v5 (F&D) | Brandon Saad (52.69) Slater Koekkoek (53.30) |
45.44% | xGF% 5v5 SVA | 44.14 |
John Gibson | GOALIES | Robin Lehner |
6-6-0 | Record | 6-2-2 |
0.926 | Save% | 0.938 |
2.51 | GAA | 2.26 |
Projected Lineups
Anaheim
Max Comtois - Ryan Getzlaf - Ondrej Kase
Rickard Rakell - Adam Henrique - Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie - Sam Steel - Troy Terry
Devin Shore - Derek Grant - Carter Rowney
Hampus Lindholm - Erik Gudbranson
Michael Del Zotto - Cam Fowler
Josh Mahura - Korbinian Holzer
John Gibson
Chicago
Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alex Nylander
Alex DeBrincat — Ryan Carpenter — Dylan Strome
Dominik Kubalik — David Kampf — Patrick Kane
Drake Caggiula — Kirby Dach — Andrew Shaw
Duncan Keith — Adam Boqvist
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson — Olli Maatta
Robin Lehner