The Anaheim Ducks have announced their starting goaltender for their Tuesday night matchup vs. the Vancouver Canucks.
Daily Faceoff and Derek Lee have confirmed that Lukas Dostal will man the crease for the Ducks. Dostal is 4-4-0 this season with an .880 save percentage, a 3.27 GAA, and zero shutouts.
Despite posting some rough numbers to start the season, Dostal could be in for a good game on Tuesday. The Canucks have been the worst team in hockey since their 17-goal outburst in their first three games of the season.
Vancouver split their season-opening home-and-home series against the Edmonton Oilers. They started the season 2-1 following a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. But they have since fallen back to reality. The Canucks are 0-9-1 in their last 10 matchups with 20 goals scored, so this is Dostal’s game to lose.
The pressure won’t just be on Dostal, however. If the Ducks wish to ensure they don’t have a trap game on their hands, it will take a full effort from all over the lineup.
Anaheim Ducks Projected Lines And Pairings vs. Vancouver
Patrick Present shared the line combos and pairings for Tuesday’s matchup, and Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, and Judd Caulfield look like the top trio. Caulfield has seen action in nine games and has four points and 26 hits this year.
Jeff Malott, Mikael Granlund, and Beckett Sennecke are the projected second line. Sennecke will look to keep up his over half-goal-per-game pace, with six in 11 games (nine points).
The projected third line looks like Nikita Nesterenko, Roger McQueen, and Alex Killorn. Killorn would be the seasoned veteran of the group should the projection hold, and he has five points in 11 contests.
Tim Washe is slated to center A.J. Greer and Sam Colangelo on the fourth line. Washe currently has six points in 11 games and has landed 39 body checks this season.
Jackson LaCombe and Noah Warren are the projected first pairing for Tuesday night. LaCombe is creeping toward the point-per-game mark with nine in 11 contests.
Tyson Hinds and Tristan Luneau make up the projected second pairing. Luneau is looking to stay consistent after his recent outburst in points.
Finally, Travis Mitchell and Nick Jensen project for the third pairing. Jensen has six blocks in two games this season.
Ducks Should Be Well-Rested And Have Momentum On Their Side
Like Vancouver, the Anaheim Ducks faced a losing streak of their own after starting the season 4-1-0. Luckily for Anaheim, they got the best of the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 24, and they scored five times in the process. If the Ducks emulate that on Tuesday night, they should skate away with the win.
That said, Dostal didn’t have his best outing against Philadelphia. He allowed four goals on 32 shots, good for just an .875 save percentage. Philadelphia hasn’t exactly been all-world in the offensive zone, so Dostal must bounce back vs. Vancouver.
If Anaheim gets the win, they will be back at .500 and could be on the verge of another solid string of games. But they must prove they can beat teams they’re supposed to beat, and not play down to their competition. The Ducks will get that chance when the puck drops at 10:00 p.m. EDT.
Anaheim Ducks Confirm Goaltender Decision Ahead of Canucks Game