At the Rink: Devils at Ducks

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov will give Frederik Andersen a rare night off Friday when the Anaheim Ducks host the New Jersey Devils at Honda Center.

With the Ducks beginning a back-to-back set that sees them playing at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, coach Bruce Boudreau will turn to Bryzgalov for his third start of the season.

Anderson had played eight of the past nine games, and had a 28-save shutout Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Usually you come back with the goaltender who just had the shutout, but this was something that we had planned," Boudreau said, according to the Ducks website. "We want him to play and we need him to play well."

Bryzgalov saw plenty of the Devils during his two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers (2011-13), including a five-game series loss in the second round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In three games this season Bryzgalov is 0-2-0 with a 4.93 goals-against average and .836 save percentage.

In his previous start, Jan. 7 against the New York Rangers, he made 18 saves on 19 shots through two periods and finished with 26 saves in a 4-1 loss.

"We just want [Bryzgalov] to play the way he's capable of playing," Boudreau said. "We know he's a really good goalie. I've seen him play for years. It's tough when you come halfway through the year and you're spotted every fourth or fifth game. It's not an easy thing but we've had good practices."

Andersen is tied for fourth in the NHL with 36 starts. His 24 wins are second to Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, and his 44 wins in 60 career decisions are the best start by an NHL goaltender since 1944, when the Montreal Canadiens' Bill Durnan won 44 of his first 58 decisions.

The Devils, who come off a 5-3 win Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings to begin their three-game California road trip, did not hold a morning skate. Cory Schneider is expected to start in goal, according to Northjersey.com.

Defenseman Eric Gelinas, who is recovered from a flu bug which has kept him out since Dec. 31, could return to the lineup in place of Mark Fraser, who did not practice Thursday. Fraser was slashed on the left hand against the Kings, though he did finish the game.

Here are the projected lineups:

DEVILS

Adam Henrique - Scott Gomez - Steve Bernier

Patrik Elias - Travis Zajac - Martin Havlat

Dainius Zubrus - Mike Cammalleri - Michael Ryder

Joe Whitney - Tom Sestito - Jordin Tootoo

Andy Greene - Adam Larsson

Jon Merrill - Marek Zidlicky

Eric Gelinas - Peter Harrold

Cory Schneider

Keith Kinkaid

Scratched: Jacob Josefson, Mark Fraser

Injured: Jaromir Jagr (flu), Tuomo Ruutu (flu), Bryce Salvador (lower body), Ryane Clowe (head), Stephen Gionta (hand), Damon Severson (ankle)

DUCKS

Patrick Maroon - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry

Rene Bourque - Ryan Kesler - Kyle Palmieri

Andrew Cogliano - Nate Thompson - Jakob Silfverberg

Matt Beleskey - Rickard Rakell - Devante Smith-Pelly

Cam Fowler - Ben Lovejoy

Hampus Lindholm - Francois Beauchemin

Clayton Stoner - Sami Vatanen

Ilya Bryzgalov

Frederik Andersen

Scratched: Mark Fistric, Colby Robak, Tim Jackman

Injured: Eric Brewer (foot)

Status report: Beleskey, a scratch Wednesday, skated on the fourth line at practice Friday with Rakell and Smith-Pelly. … Brewer, who sustained a broken foot in his second game with the Ducks following a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning and hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 1, skated with assistant coach Scott Niedermayer and took some rushes with teammates. Brewer still has to receive clearance from doctors before he can return.

Who's hot: Bernier had two goals against the Kings on Wednesday. … Gomez had two assists Wednesday; he has two goals and six points in his past five games. … Getzlaf has six goals and 19 assists in his past 19 games. … Palmieri has goals in consecutive games and eight in 20 games this season.