Ducks' Selanne downplaying last game vs. Jets

Monday, 03.31.2014 / 5:09 PM

By NHL.com Staff - / 2013-2014 At the Rink Blog

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Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne, who began his NHL career with the original Winnipeg Jets, on Monday will play his final game against the current Winnipeg franchise.

Selanne, who has said the 2013-14 season will be his final one, had 76 goals and 132 points as a rookie with the Jets in 1992-93 and spent his first four NHL seasons with them.

Since leaving the Jets he's gone on to score 684 goals, second among active players. This season he has nine goals and 25 points in 58 games; he's sat out the second of back-to-back games this season to conserve energy for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I try to take this as a normal game," Selanne told the Ducks' website. "Obviously I know it's the last game, so it's always special. I'll try to enjoy it."

A Ducks win against the Jets would set a new franchise record with 49 victories. After earning seven points in its past four games, Anaheim is home for five of its final eight regular-season games; the Ducks lead the San Jose Sharks by one point in the Pacific Division with two games in hand.

"It's just one game. The mode right now is to build a peak for the playoffs," Selanne said. "There's no way we can take the last games off and turn the switch on in the playoffs. That's the main focus right now."

Goalie Frederik Andersen was first off the ice and will start his second straight game for Anaheim. Coach Bruce Boudreau said he's liked Andersen's past three starts, all on the road. He stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Ducks' 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Andersen is 8-2-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in 11 home games this season.

"I thought he deserved a game at home," Boudreau told reporters. "It's not always fun playing all your games on the road."

Goalie Ondrej Pavelec will start for the Jets. Pavelec returned to action Saturday after missing two weeks with a lower-body injury. He allowed three goals on 16 shots before he was pulled after the first period of a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Backup goalie Al Montoya was not on the ice Monday morning due to a minor lower-body injury and is day-to-day.

The Jets on Sunday recalled three players from the St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey League: Goalie Michael Hutchinson and defensemen Ben Chiarot and Zach Redmond. Hutchinson will back up Pavelec and Redmond will be in the lineup in place of defenseman Keaton Ellerby, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

"It's going to be a little different," defenseman Adam Pardy told the Jets' website. "Guys are dropping like flies it seems like now. It's opportunities for other guys. Once again as players we have to adjust to different partners and different aspects of the game, but it won't be that big of an adjustment. We've got guys coming in. [Redmond] has always done a great job when he's come in and played. We're confident in what we can do here."

Winnipeg is 3-7-3 in its past 13 games and enters the game nine points behind the Phoenix Coyotes for the second Western Conference wild-card spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I expect them to come out and play as hard as they can," Boudreau said of the Jets. "This is pretty much their last hurrah if they want to make it. They play in Phoenix [Tuesday], so it would be the start of a good week for them."

Here are the projected lineups for the Jets and Ducks:

JETS

Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Michael Frolik

Evander Kane - Eric O'Dell - Matt Halischuk

Dustin Byfuglien - Olli Jokinen - Blake Wheeler

Eric Tangradi - Jim Slater - Anthony Peluso

Mark Stuart - Jacob Trouba

Tobias Enstrom - Paul Postma

Adam Pardy - Zach Redmond

Ondrej Pavelec

Michael Hutchinson

Scratched: Patrice Cormier, Devin Setoguchi, Al Montoya