Daily Primer Oct. 31: Surging Ducks visit Bruins

The Anaheim Ducks are more than halfway through their eight-game road trip, and they've done a solid job of picking up points through the first five games.

However, they'll be forced to play the final three games of the trip without Teemu Selanne after the 43-year-old forward took a high stick from Luke Schenn to the mouth during a 3-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Selanne lost several teeth as a result and also received 40 stitches. He returned to Anaheim on Wednesday to have surgery.

The Ducks, meanwhile, continue their trip Thursday night against the Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, PRIME, NESN).

"You hate to see it," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau told the team's website. "I just hate to see the whole teeth thing. Drives me nuts. It was a reckless use of the stick, but what are you going to do?"

Here's a look at all of the action scheduled for Thursday night:

Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins - Anaheim's eight-game road trip continues in Boston, where the Ducks will be seeking their fourth straight win. After back-to-back losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens to start the trip, the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets before rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Flyers on Tuesday. The Bruins get right back at it after suffering a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center. Patrice Bergeron and Jarome Iginla scored for the Bruins, who lost on the road for the first time in five games this season. David Krejci's seven-game point streak came to an end.

Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers - Matt Moulson returns to the New York metropolitan area just four days after being traded to Buffalo by the New York Islanders. Moulson scored two goals in his Sabres' debut Monday, but it wasn't enough to avoid a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars at First Niagara Center, dropping Buffalo to 2-11-1. The Rangers return to Madison Square Garden to play their second home game of the season after rallying for a 3-2 victory against the Islanders on Tuesday night. Carl Hagelin made his season debut after undergoing shoulder surgery during the summer and had an assist on the winning goal.

Nashville Predators at Phoenix Coyotes - Thursday marks the beginning of a seven-game road trip for the Predators, who are averaging 1.92 goals per game. They'll be without No. 1 goaltender Pekka Rinne throughout the trip; Nashville learned last week that Rinne will miss about a month after an infection developed in his surgically repaired hip. Phoenix will be seeking its third straight victory; the Coyotes (8-3-2) beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Tuesday. Phoenix hasn't been known for offense in recent years, but the Coyotes enter Thursday averaging 3.31 goals per game, tying them for fourth in the League.