Ducks likely to give Fasth start against Wild

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Anaheim Ducks goalie Viktor Fasth will make his second NHL start Friday night, if the morning skate is any indication.

Fasth came off the ice first ahead of Jonas Hiller and, if he plays, will likely go against Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild.

It would make sense given the back-to-back situation with the rival Los Angeles Kings coming to Honda Center on Saturday. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau split Fasth and Hiller in the Ducks' first back-to-back sequence.

Boudreau certainly didn't tip his hand when asked about his goalie philosophy.

"Sometimes you can overthink it," Boudreau said. "Sometimes it's statistical in how goalies have done against teams in the past. There's a lot of little factors that go into it, and then you come up with a decision."

Fasth won in his Jan. 26 debut.

Suter fully healthy: Ryan Suter said he's closer to 100 percent after an illness that forced him to take intravenous fluids before a Jan. 27 game.

"I think I got food poisoning or something there," the Wild defenseman said. "I'm feeling better. I was throwing up on the plane ride back from St. Louis."

Suter and coach Mike Yeo both feel that Suter's game is coming around. He had two assists in that Jan. 27 game and played more than 30 minutes in an overtime game Wednesday.

"His last couple of games, he's been so good," Yeo said. "I thought even before that he was really starting to find his game. These are the things were talking about that we were starting to see in him, and every game it's been getting better and better."

Vatanen to make debut?: Defenseman Sami Vatanen came off the ice with the regulars and could make his NHL debut for the Ducks.

An offensive-minded defenseman from Finland, Vatanen was slowed by a foot injury, but he's been skating for a week and Anaheim would like to give him a look at some point.

"I watched him play in Norfolk [of the American Hockey League], and some nights he was outstanding and other nights he was average," Boudreau said. "If it's like the rest of the players … they pick their game up when they get to the NHL, it will be interesting to see, when he plays, what it will be like."

WILD

Zach Parise – Mikko Koivu – Dany Heatley

Matt Cullen –Mikael Granlund – Devin Setoguchi

Pierre-Marc Bouchard – Kyle Brodziak – Cal Clutterbuck

Torrey Mitchell – Zenon Konopka – Darroll Powe

Ryan Suter – Jonas Brodin

Clayton Stoner – Tom Gilbert

Marco Scandella – Justin Falk

Niklas Backstrom

Josh Harding

Jared Spurgeon is moving closer to a return from a lower body injury but Yeo said he probably won't play Friday. Yeo said he will use the same lineup as the last game.

DUCKS

Matt Beleskey – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Bobby Ryan – Nick Bonino – Teemu Selanne

Andrew Cogliano – Saku Koivu – Daniel Winnik

Emerson Etem – Rickard Rakell – Kyle Palmieri

Sheldon Souray – Francois Beauchemin

Toni Lydman – Luca Sbisa

Bryan Allen – Cam Fowler

Viktor Fasth

Jonas Hiller

The pairing of Souray and Beauchemin was quite effective Tuesday against San Jose and Boudreau will continue with it for now.

"I thought it was Souray and Beachemin's best game of the year," Boudreau said. "For one night it worked. Until it happens 10 nights in a row, I don't put much thought into it."

Hometown product Emerson Etem will make his home NHL debut for Anaheim. Etem, from nearby Long Beach, Calif., said he will have about 16 family and friends in attendance. Etem on Tuesday became the 13th player in NHL history born and trained in Southern California to appear in an NHL game.