Ducks at Flyers
The Anaheim Ducks are already a plus-1 prior to Tuesday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers that kicks off a four-game road trip, but they'll play minus one of their top defenseman. Anaheim lost Cam Fowler for an unknown period of time with a knee injury he sustained in Friday's 6-2 victory over Montreal, but center Ryan Getzlaf (lower-body) returns to the lineup and defenseman Hampus Lindholm makes his season debut.
“You’re always getting tested throughout the course of the season,” Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa told the Orange County Register. “The good teams and the teams that make the playoffs are the ones that can survive these kinds of injuries.'' Defenseman Sami Vatanen (shoulder) could play his first game of the season sometime on the trip while Patrick Eaves (lower-body) stayed home. And with No. 2 center Ryan Kesler (hip) out until at least Christmas, it's a small miracle that Anaheim sits at .500. Philadelphia, which snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Ducks (0-5-3) with a 3-2 overtime victory Oct. 7 on Wayne Simmonds' overtime goal, is 3-1-0 on its five-game homestand after a 2-1 victory over Edmonton on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Prime Ticket (Anaheim), NBCSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE DUCKS (3-3-1): Getzlaf practiced with the top power-play unit Monday while Lindholm appeared with the No. 2 group. Andrew Cogliano, who has played in all 793 games to start his career - the third-longest streak in NHL history - helped keep Anaheim afloat with two goals, a team-high six points and a plus-6 rating as has defenseman Josh Manson (team-high plus-7, four assists). Corey Perry recorded an assist Friday for his first point since recording two goals and an assist in the season opener.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (5-3-0): Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakub Voracek lead the team with 10 assists apiece with Gostisbehere's goal the only one among them. Simmonds boasts a team-leading six goals while Claude Giroux has five goals and five assists, with four tallies and seven points in his last four games. Sean Couturier and Valtteri Filppula are also off to solid starts with four goals apiece with Couturier registering a team-best plus-9.
OVERTIME
1. Flyers F Jordan Weal (goal, three assists) missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but practiced Monday.
2. Anaheim is an NHL-worst 1-for-25 on the power play, recording its goal Friday after going 0-for-21 to start the season.
3. Seven of Gostisbehere's assists have come on the power play, which is clicking at a 24.2 percent rate.