clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Pacific Division Round Up: Fleury, Raanta close to returning to their respective teams

Plus props to the Ducks for picking up Adam Henrique.

NHL: Detroit Red Wings at Vegas Golden Knights Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Kings continue to pad their lead a top the Pacific Division with six wins in a row and counting. And a pair of Pacific Division teams could soon get their starting goaltenders back from injury.

Anaheim Ducks (12-11-6)

That Adam Henrique deal seems to be turning out well for the Ducks. Henrique scored two goals in last night’s 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. He has five points (two goals, three assists) since last week’s trade.

That’s good news for the Ducks because they’re still battling injuries. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm is out for at least a week with an upper body injury. The Ducks are hoping winger Jakob Silverberg will be back this week and captain Ryan Getzlaf will be back by Christmas.

Anaheim lost to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday and the Nashville Predators 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday. They also lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 on Friday.

The Ducks host the Minnesota Wild Friday at 7 PT.

Arizona Coyotes (7-18-5)

The Coyotes are hoping for a little more stability in net. Goalie Antti Raanta is cleared to play today, but there’s no word on if he’ll start. Raanta has missed 16 games this season due to injury.

Scott Wedgewood has been filling in in the interim. Wedgewood earned his first career shutout on Saturday when he blanked the New Jersey Devils 5-0. Unfortunately, he lost to the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Sunday and the Calgary Flames 3-0 on Thursday.

Top-four defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson is still on IR.

The Coyotes visit the Boston Bruins today at 4 PT.

Calgary Flames (14-12-2)

The Flames are struggling to string together some wins. Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederick Andersen had 47 saves yesterday to beat the Flames 2-1 in the shootout. Calgary lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Monday and the Edmonton Oilers 7-5 on Sunday.

The one bright note, Flames goaltender Mike Smith shutout his former team 3-0.

The Flames play the Montreal Canadiens today at 4:30 PT.

Edmonton Oilers (11-15-2)

Oilers star Connor McDavid didn’t miss a game, even though he’s battling the flu. McDavid had one assist in last night’s 4-2 loss to the Flyers. The Oilers continue to struggle, trading wins and losses. They beat the Flames 7-5 on Saturday, but lost to the Maple Leafs 6-4 on Thursday.

With the Oilers falling well short of expectations this season, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal is reporting the team could be shopping winger Anton Slepyshev. He just returned from the IR after a groin injury, but has been a healthy scratch the past two games.

The Oilers claimed defenseman Brandon Davidson off waivers from the Canadiens on Sunday. They also claimed forward Nathan Walker off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Defenseman Adam Larsson is on IR, as is goalie Cam Talbot, who is out for at least two weeks. Laurent Brossoit will be in net until Talbot returns. Backup Nick Ellis has never played an NHL game.

The Oilers play the Canadiens Saturday at 4 PT.

Los Angeles Kings (18-8-3)

The Kings continue to roll, beating some of the best teams in the league. Los Angeles rolled over the Wild 5-2 on Tuesday. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Sunday, the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Friday and the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Thursday.

The Kings have now won six in a row, thanks in part to the strong play of captain Anze Kopitar. Kopitar has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the past eight games.

The Kings play the Senators today at 7:30 PT.

Vancouver Canucks (14-10-4)

The Canucks are making a strong push for one of the top spots in the Pacific Division. Jacob Markstrom had 30 saves for his first career shutout on Tuesday, leading the Canucks to beat the the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. It was the third straight win for the team, who beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 on Saturday and the Predators 5-3 on Thursday.

The Canucks will be without top-six forward Bo Horvat when they play the Flyers tonight at 7 PT. Horvat was injured in Tuesday’s game. He has a broken foot and could be out for six weeks.

Vegas Golden Knights (17-9-1)

While they’ve survived without him, the Golden Knights are happy to hear that veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury practiced yesterday. It was his first practice since he was concussed during the Oct. 13th game against the Detroit Red Wings.

In his absence, the Golden Knights backup goaltenders have helped keep the team in second place in the Pacific Division. Malcolm Subban beat the Ducks 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday and the Coyotes 3-2 in overtime on Sunday.

Vegas lost to the Winnipeg Jets 7-4 on Friday. They also lost to the Wild 4-2 on Thursday.

Vegas plays the Nashville Predators tomorrow at 5 PT.