Since returning from a broken hand Teemu Selanne has played exactly 22:12, has scored twice (career goals number 594 and 595), and spread all this production out over two games, both of which resulted in wins for the Ducks.
Selanne appears to be easing himself back into the Ducks’ lineup until he’s 100 percent. If it was a secret to the media, that changed Tuesday when Selanne removed his left glove after practice to reveal a small mountain rising above his knuckles.
“The hand is not close to 100 percent but good enough to play,” he said. “You have to start getting ready to play more and more minutes. If I can play as many minutes as I can it’s going to be good, but you have to go one step at a time. The team is winning, playing very well right now, so that’s all that really matters.”
Selanne noted that back-to-back road games aren’t an optimal time to return to the lineup. After sliding into the right-wing position on a fourth line with Petteri Nokelainen and Mike Brown, Selanne was limited to 12:17 on Saturday in Nashville and 10:55 on Sunday in Chicago. His ice time wasn’t helped by the fact that the Ducks had just four power plays in the two games.
And while it’s no secret the Ducks would love to have a goal a game from their fourth line, head coach Randy Carlyle said he doesn’t plan to keep Selanne there the rest of the season.
“We don’t reallyfeel good about him being on the fourth line,” Carlyle said, “but if you’re productive and hescores a goal a game, are we going to take that and continue to play the powerplay? That’s a decision we have to make because I don’t envision him playingthere the rest of the year.”
Until the mountain on his left hand subsides, Selanne said he’s content to take it slow because the team is playing well. Anaheim’s four-game winning streak is the longest in the NHL, and they’re doing several things right.
“I think it’s the confidence,” Selanne said. “Everybody’s playing with confidence.”
“We’re getting a contribution from everyone in the lineup,” said Carlyle. “We’re creating more off our forecheck than we were previously. Win more battles, block more shots, get in the shooting lanes, be more competitive in all areas of the ice – not just the offensive zone or the defensive zone, but competing for the puck in neutral ice. … We’ve got everyone back in the lineup, which is a plus.”
Added Saku Koivu, “I think the biggest difference for me is that we’re playing better defensively as a team. There’s not little breaks that we had early on where the other team scores two or three goals. We’re playing more disciplined hockey in a lot of areas. We’re not taking many penalties.”
More Selanne … check out this interview he did with the team’s official Web site. (He thinks it’s his last season and still doesn’t like flying).
