The Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes were not expected to skate Sunday before their game at Honda Center.
The Ducks are coming off a two-day break and it is not known if left wing Rene Bourque will make his Anaheim debut after he was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Bryan Allen on Thursday. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said Saturday that he wasn't certain if Bourque would play Sunday or Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.
Despite a plethora of capable forwards, Ducks general manager Bob Murray hasn't been pleased with an offense that ranks 17th in goals per game (2.62). He acquired Bourque, a former 20-goal scorer, to possibly add a spark. It would be his first NHL game since Nov. 4.
Arizona improved to 6-1-0 against the Pacific Division with a 4-3 shootout win at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. The Coyotes are 5-2-0 in their past seven road games, including a 3-2 shootout win at Anaheim on Nov.7.
Eight of Anaheim's past 10 games have gone to overtime or a shootout.
Here are the projected lineups:
COYOTES
Lauri Korpikoski – Antoine Vermette – Mikkel Boedker
Tobias Rieder – Sam Gagner – Shane Doan
Rob Klinkhammer – Kyle Chipchura – Martin Erat
Brandon McMillan - Joe Vitale – B.J. Crombeen
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
David Schlemko – Michael Stone
Injured: Martin Hanzal (lower body), David Moss (upper body), Brandon Gormley (lower body)
Scratched: Chris Summers
DUCKS
Patrick Maroon – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Rene Bourque/Kyle Palmieri - Ryan Kesler – Matt Beleskey
Jakob Silfverberg – Nate Thompson – Andrew Cogliano
Emerson Etem – Rickard Rakell – Devante Smith-Pelly
Hampus Lindholm – Francois Beauchemin
Injured: Ben Lovejoy (finger), John Gibson (groin), Mark Fistric (back), William Karlsson (flu), Dany Heatley (groin)
Scratched: Tim Jackman, Mat Clark
Status report: Smith reportedly will start for the Coyotes after Dubnyk won Saturday. Bourque reportedly skated with Kesler, Palmieri and Maroon in practice Saturday. Hanzal has missed three games.
Who's hot: Silfverberg got his NHL co-leading fourth shootout goal of the season Thursday. He has a career conversion rate of 56.3 percent (9-for-16) … Gagner has assists in three straight games … Boedker comes off a two-assist game.
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.