The first half of this week’s Anaheim Ducks News & Rumors piece looks at Ryan Getzlaf’s historic achievement, Troy Terry’s phenomenal form, Kevin Shattenkirk’s hot start and Jakob Silfverberg going into COVID protocol.
Getzlaf Passes Selanne, Closes in on 1,000 Points
After tying Teemu Selanne for the Ducks’ all-time points lead on Friday night in Las Vegas, it felt fitting that the captain would pass his longtime teammate and friend back at home in Anaheim. A deft touch pass released Troy Terry and the winger beat Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault on the backhand. Getzlaf was then mobbed by the entire team as they celebrated his historic accomplishment.
“I got to sit beside him in the locker room, and I learned a lot of things away from the game from Teemu that people don’t see,” said Getzlaf after the game. “This is a tough league, and I got to watch Teemu enjoy it at an age when most of us can’t skate anymore. I was fortunate to play with a lot of great players, and Teemu was definitely one of them that I looked up to.”
A three-point night on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils means that Getzlaf is now eight points away from 1,000. He will be honored with a pregame ceremony on Friday night when the Ducks take on the Arizona Coyotes.
Terry on Hot Streak
Two more goals on Tuesday night meant that Terry extended his point streak to a league-leading nine games. The winger has been on a torrid pace since missing the second game of the season with a non-COVID illness and he has now scored a goal in four consecutive games. His nine-game point streak is the first by a Duck since the 2015-16 season.
The chemistry he’s developed with Getzlaf has been evident all through training camp and it’s continued into the regular season. “He’s been playing really good hockey,” said Getzlaf after Sunday’s game. “He’s been playing the right way and doing the right things and he’s getting rewarded for it.”
Playing with confidence is something that Terry struggled to consistently do last season, but it looks like he’s finding his groove. “When he plays with confidence, you can see it in his game,” said John Gibson during his postgame interview. “You can see his confidence with the puck. Tonight on that 2-on-1, when Troy’s playing with confidence, he has the confidence to shoot that puck and score. I think in the past, he would maybe try to pass it or force something.”
“The biggest thing for (Terry) is he’s put in the work, he’s put in the time in the offseason and now he’s just going out there and playing with confidence.”
-John Gibson
via Associated Press
Shattenkirk Leading Defensemen in Scoring
Shattenkirk is currently the league’s top-scoring defenseman (3-8-11) and looks much better than he did last season. The 32-year-old has been playing on the Ducks’ third pairing with Simon Benoit and Josh Mahura in rotation as his partner.
Shattenkirk was brought in with the idea that he could bring more offense to the Ducks’ blue line. After a dreadful first season, a change in personnel on the bench around Dallas Eakins in Shattenkirk’s second season in Anaheim has allowed him to play more to his strengths.
“(Assistant coach Geoff) Ward has done a great job of identifying what the other team is doing and giving us two or three options of what we can do off of that,” said Shattenkirk during Tuesday’s postgame interview.
Silfverberg in COVID Protocol After Positive Test
Silfverberg was mysteriously removed from the Ducks roster on the NHL website on Saturday. While there was speculation that a trade could be the possible reason( Jack Eichel, anyone?), it turned out to be a website error. However, Silfverberg did test positive multiple times for COVID-19 and thus will be in isolation for about 10 days.
Related: Ducks Need to Embrace “Mighty Ducks” Identity
With Rickard Rakell and Max Jones on injured reserve and Mason McTavish still working his way back from an injury of his own, the Ducks’ depth on the wings is starting to look a bit thin. That didn’t stop them from cruising to a resounding 4-0 win on Tuesday against the Devils, but the Ducks have already had their fair share of forward absences this season.
The Ducks now have two days off after perhaps their best performance of the season, Gibson made 28 saves in his first shutout of the season. Selanne will be on hand for Friday’s pregame ceremony honoring Getzlaf and it’s only a matter of time before Getzlaf eclipses the 1,000 point mark.
