February 2011 Archives

As first reported by Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Ducks have acquired left wing Brad Winchester from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round draft pick. Multiple reports on Twitter indicate the pick is from the 2012 draft.

Update: The team has confirmed the trade.

Winchester is a rare commodity for a fourth-line winger - he has a 13-goal season under his belt (2008-09) and already has nine goals this season. He also has five assists and a minus-9 rating in 57 games this season.

Winchester ranks third on the Blues with eight major penalties and second with 86 penalty minutes.

Maxim Lapierre has been dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for minor-league center Joel Perrault and a third-round draft pick in 2012.

Update: The Ducks have confirmed the deal and will also send AHL center MacGregor Sharp to Vancouver.

Lapierre started out as the Ducks' third-line center after he was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Brett Festerling and a fifth-round draft pick in 2012. He had seen his ice time reduced in recent weeks, however, and was deemed the odd man out after the acquisition of Brad Winchester from St. Louis earlier in the day.

Lapierre had three assists, no goals and nine penalty minutes in 21 games for the Ducks.

Perrault, 27, is currently playing for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. He has three goals and 18 points in 26 games this season. A former Ducks draft pick (fifth round, 2001), Perrault has 12 goals and 26 points in 96 NHL games for the Coyotes, Blues and Canucks.

One second remained on the clock in a 3-2 game, a perfect time for divine intervention.

"All of a sudden the puck came out of nowhere and hit me on the side of the head," Ducks goalie Dan Ellis said. "I heard it hit a post. I was just praying that it hit the right post. Thank God it stayed out."

Indeed, in a game the Ducks had to win, Milan Hejduk's late shot off the post might have been the turning point. Should Anaheim reach the playoffs, it will be a moment to remember. So too will Todd Marchant's first goal of the season, Brandon McMillan's game-winner, and Erik Johnson's bone-headed giveaway that led to Ryan Getzlaf's goal in the first period.

Often, the rest wasn't pretty. Ellis finished with 22 saves but he was outplayed by his counterpart for the second time in as many games as a Duck. Peter Budaj made 11 of his 29 saves on the power play and could hardly be blamed for the Avs' 13th loss in their last 14 games.

The Ducks snapped a five-game losing streak and won for the first time without injured goalie Jonas Hiller since Curtis McElhinney backstopped a 5-4 overtime win in Calgary. They remained one point behind the 72-point cutoff for the eighth and final playoff spot.

With the Ducks on the power play at 11:23 of the third period, McMillan broke a 2-2 tie, scoring on a putback after Budaj came out aggressively after allowing a rebound to the right of the net.

The rookie center was only out on the power play because Saku Koivu missed his third straight game with a groin injury. Yet he, Bobby Ryan and Jason Blake (and defensemen Luca Sbisa and Francois Beauchemin) turned it into a minute-long cycle play that wore down the Colorado PK with Brandon Yip serving a double-minor for high-sticking Beauchemin.

Considering the Ducks were outshot 23-19 at even strength -- and only had one power-play goal to show for their previous six games -- it was a badly needed goal.

"We found a way to score a big power play goal to win us the hockey game," head coach Randy Carlyle said. "That is what you have to do. You have to find ways to get points at this time of the year. Hopefully this is a springboard for our hockey club to get back to playing the way we are quite capable of playing."

Marchant's goal ended a streak of 70 games without a goal. The goal, the 186th of his career, came at the end of a give-and-go with Sbisa. The defenseman jumped up in the rush and backhanded the puck to Marchant, streaking down the slot; Marchant needed only get a sliver of stick on the puck to re-direct it past Budaj.

"It's certainly the longest drought of my career," Marchant said. "I'm not sure what it was prior to this, but it wasn't anywhere near this. I didn't let it get me down mentally. I know I've got many other roles on this team besides scoring goals. The bottom line is it's about wins this time of the year. It's not about how many goals or assists I get. It's about winning hockey games, getting into the playoffs and see how far it takes you."

A few more notes:

As first reported by CSNNE.com, the Ducks have acquired enforcer Brian McGrattan from the Boston Bruins. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos wrote on his Twitter account Sunday that the Ducks will also receive minor-league defenseman Sean Zimmerman in exchange for minor-league forwards David Laliberte and Stefan Chaput.

Update: The team confirmed the trade after the Ducks' 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

McGrattan has the most NHL experience among the four players involved. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound forward has 395 penalty minutes in 182 NHL games for the Senators, Coyotes and Flames. He's spent the entire season with the Providence Bruins, Boston's AHL affiliate, recording four goals, five points and 97 penalty minutes in 39 games. McGrattan has never appeared in an NHL playoff game.

Zimmerman, 23, has four assists and no goals in 30 games between Providence and Rochester.

Both players' contracts expire at the end of this season, according to CapGeek.com.

Laliberte had five goals and nine points in 29 games for Syracuse, the Ducks' AHL affiliate. Chaput had three goals and seven points in 27 games.

Chaput was originally acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Ryan Carter trade. Laliberte was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Danny Syvret trade.

Setting aside Pierre-Marc Bouchard's breakaway goal in overtime for a moment, the Ducks did well to salvage a point against the Minnesota Wild on Friday. Two minutes away from a regulation loss on home ice, the Ducks forced overtime to remain one point behind eighth place in the Western Conference.

However, the three teams ahead of them -- Chicago, Dallas and Nashville -- all have one game in hand. And their slide from first place in the division (and third in the conference) on Feb. 13 to fifth place in the division (11th in the conference) shouldn't sit well.

Remember 10 days ago how there was that 2-point gap between first and fifth place in the Pacific Division? It's a 9-point gap now.

"We have to look at the positives," said defenseman Francois Beauchemin, whose putback goal with 2:00 left in the third period allowed the Ducks to tie the game at 2 and force overtime. "We got one point. That is not enough, but we'll take that. We'll have a good practice tomorrow and go back to work on Sunday. We have to take it one game at a time."

One positive is that it's looking easier to blame the goaltending. Even with Saku Koivu's groin injury keeping him out of the lineup a second straight day, the Ducks put 48 shots on Jose Theodore -- two off their season high.

Is Dan Ellis an upgrade over Curtis McElhinney as a temporary starter? Obviously Bob Murray thought so before making the trade with Tampa on Thursday (and was rewarded today with a four-year contract extension). Clayton Stoner's go-ahead goal with 4:57 left in the third period might disagree.

Ellis stopped 28 of 31 in his Ducks debut, a respectable .903 save percentage. He could hardly be blamed for John Madden's first-period goal at the end of a 2-on-1 rush, but all three goals he allowed came on the rush with nobody standing between him and the shooter.

So why is being able to isolate the goaltending a positive again? Jonas Hiller is working his way back from what he's been told is a case of vertigo, and that's treatable. Hiller doesn't even have to board a plane for a while; the Ducks are at home until March 9, play once in Denver, then come back to Southern California for their next four games.

In the meantime, all the Ducks really have to do is keep it close in the standings. That should be the plan, at least. Maybe this team can win without Hiller -- it's now 0-4-1 since Hiller last went on IR -- but as Corey Perry said, "it's a matter of finding those bounces again that we were getting early on when we were winning."

A few more notes:

The Ducks have extended the contract of general manager Bob Murray through the 2015-16 season, the team announced today. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The NHL trade deadline is three days away, but the Ducks didn't wait that long to hand Murray his report card.

"Bob has positioned us well for the future," CEO Michael Schulman said in a statement. "He has added youth to our current lineup, with several exciting prospects still on the horizon. He deserves the stability this contract extension brings."

The Ducks hope Ray Emery doesn't have to back up his words with actions. Not yet, at least.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I was ready to contribute," Emery said Thursday, following his first NHL practice in more than a year. "If I get a chance, I'm going to try to make the most of it, try to do my best."

Earlier in the morning, general manager Bob Murray said that Emery would ideally get his next game action in a Syracuse Crunch uniform.

Emery made three starts for the Crunch, going 2-1-0 with 2.62 goals-against average and .925 save percentage, after the Ducks signed him to a two-way contract last week. On Wednesday, he was back on an NHL bench as the back-up to Curtis McElhinney against the Kings. Reading into the situation, Emery will probably back up Dan Ellis tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild.

"I think we have to stick to the game plan with him," Murray said. "He's here now, he's getting shots, he's getting NHL shooters right now. He's (working) with (goaltending consultant) Pete Peeters. He's going to be here, obviously, until Jonas (Hiller) comes back. He's got to play more games. Hopefully at the end of all this, we have three strong goaltenders that are ready to make a run."

As the Ducks' goaltending world turns, Curtis McElhinney is out and Dan Ellis is in.

The straight-up swap with the Tampa Bay Lightning was completed in the early hours Thursday. Ellis was scheduled to arrive tonight and be ready to play Friday against the Minnesota Wild.

The trade means a couple things for the Ducks. One, that the team thinks Ray Emery isn't ready for NHL games and two, that McElhinney isn't ready to be a starter indefinitely - at least, as long as Jonas Hiller is dealing with the brain issues that he's been told are a result of vertigo.

"We just felt that we needed some more experience going down the stretch," general manager Bob Murray said. "We gave Curtis a chance to pay last night, and we thought he played OK last night. Going forward with the uncertainty with Jonas at the moment, we felt we needed more experience. Dan has had experience being a number one, and playing in the playoffs."

Wednesday was a long day for the Ducks.

Jonas Hiller said he's got vertigo, Timo Pielmeier was demoted to Syracuse, Ray Emery was flown in to Anaheim, Curtis McElhinney earned another start, Saku Koivu tried to play despite a groin injury but sat, Ryan Getzlaf tried to play but his wife gave birth so he sat out too, and then the Ducks lost 3-2 to the Kings.

Time to breathe now.

A one-goal loss to the Kings was about the most uplifting way to extend a losing streak to four games, short of earning a point in overtime or a shootout. Figure that with Getzlaf and Koivu in the lineup, Jarkko Ruutu isn't starting the game on the top line; the Ducks are putting more pressure on Jonathan Quick and not relying on a pair of deflections to constitute their offense; and certainly Bobby Ryan and Brandon McMillan aren't dressing as the No. 1 and 2 centers.

"I think we played good enough to win the game," Teemu Selanne said, and against a team that isn't as hot as the Kings (9-1-3 in their last 13 games), he's probably right.

Here's the game story, and here are a few details I left out:

Well that didn't take long.

Ray Emery was recalled from AHL affiliate Syracuse and will back up Curtis McElhinney tonight when the Ducks play the Kings. The move seemed inevitable after Emery's 34-save effort last night for the Syracuse Crunch, his third start in five days after going 12 months without playing a live game.

Emery went 2-1-0 with a 2.62 goals-against average and .925 save percentage with the Crunch. He will wear number 36 with the Ducks.

"We didn't think it was going to be this quick, but he's played three hockey games, he's played really well in them," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle told reporters this morning. "If we need him, we're not afraid to put him in the net."

Timo Pielmeier, who struggled in his first NHL appearance Saturday in St. Louis, was assigned to Syracuse.

Jonas Hiller, meanwhile, gave an update on his status Wednesday, telling reporters that the latest, most specific diagnosis of his "balance issue" is vertigo.

The Syracuse Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday that Matt Beleskey will need 2 to 3 weeks to rehab a shoulder injury, and that the forward might need surgery if the rehab doesn't go well. Beleskey sustained the injury Saturday when he was hit by Hugh Jessiman in the Syracuse Crunch's win over the Rochester Americans.

Even though he was passed over for Dan Sexton the last time the Ducks reached into the AHL, Beleskey had three goals and five points in seven games prior to Saturday. Based on those stats, it's conceivable that Beleskey would be a candidate for a March recall once NHL rosters expand (or earlier, depending on injuries at the NHL level). That could change depending on the severity of the injury.

Beleskey had three goals and 10 points in 27 games with the Ducks this season, and nine goals and 21 points in 23 games with the Crunch.

Looking ahead to tonight's game against the Kings, here are some facts and figures provided by the Ducks' communications department about the head-to-head matchup:

Ray Emery improved to 2-1 in his first three AHL starts Tuesday, earning the win in the Syracuse Crunch's 4-3 win over the visiting Charlotte Checkers.

Emery stopped 34 of 37 shots between regulation and overtime, then stopped 3 of 4 in the shootout to preserve the win. Veteran forward Josh Green told the Syracuse Post-Standard after the game that "Ray's an NHL goalie right now."

That's up to the Ducks to decide, and there was no indication at Tuesday's practice that Emery was in the pool of candidates to start Wednesday night against the Kings. Aside from the logistical constraint of having the goalie fly across the country on short notice, Emery would have to make back-to-back starts for the second time in less than a week after not playing a game in 12 months. Emery already started consecutive games Friday and Saturday -- and at least those were in the same time zone.

So the question before the Ducks probably isn't if Emery will start tomorrow, but rather, is Josh Green right?

Here are the facts on the table: Emery has a 2.62 goals-against average and .925 save percentage to go with his 2-1-0 record. The Wild visit Anaheim on Friday and the Avalanche visit Sunday. The Crunch have home games Friday and Saturday. Jonas Hiller is recuperating from another bout of dizziness, and Curtis McElhinney is recuperating from three bad starts. If neither goalie has resolved his issues come Friday -- and if Josh Green is right -- it makes sense that Emery would be on his way to Anaheim.

Curtis McElhinney and Timo Pielmeier were the only two goalies on the ice when the Ducks got back to practice Wednesday. No Ray Emery - he is still in Syracuse - and no Jonas Hiller, either.

Hiller is eligible to come off injured reserve prior to Wednesday's game against the Kings, but that won't happen. There seem to be mixed signals about just how long Hiller's return from his latest ailment will take.

Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle sounded cautiously optimistic when he said of Hiller, "when he's available to go on the ice, I haven't got a timeframe for that, but we expect that to happen in the next little while. We don't feel it's going to be an extended period of time."

Hiller has only played one full game since he first experienced symptoms of dizziness and light-headedness following the All-Star Game on Jan. 30. Recently, Hiller has been meeting with a therapist to deal with what the team is calling a "treatable balance issue."

On Tuesday, he worked out off the ice then left Anaheim Ice just before his teammates finished practice. When asked for an update on his condition, the goalie didn't offer any specifics, saying only that things are "not going the way I'd like them to."

Still, Carlyle said it's a "positive sign" that Hiller is being encouraged to work out and stay active, rather than completely refrain from any physical activity.

Dear readers,

I've accepted an invitation to participate in a live chat, hosted by HockeyPrimeTime.com, during today's Heritage Classic game between Montreal and Calgary (starts at 3 p.m.). I'm extending the invitation to you - and to make it even easier, you can hop in the room right here, without leaving the comforts of insidesocal.com. The game is going to be televised locally on Versus. Come back at 3 and chat it up:

In a battle of field goals, the Ducks got their rear ends kicked.

The final scoresheet tells the story: The Blues wasted through Curtis McElhinney (11 shots, 7 saves) and Timo Pielmeier (12 shots, 7 saves) -- who closed out the final two periods in his NHL debut -- with equal fervor.

Goals by Jarkko Ruutu and Teemu Selanne in the game's first 6:41 gave Anaheim an unmemorable 2-0 lead. The Blues scored four more before the first period was over, interrupted only by a Ryan Getzlaf wrist shot that ended Ty Conklin's evening. The bleeding continued as Chris Stewart, T.J. Oshie and Andy McDonald all wrapped up two-goal efforts. Alex Steen, Carlo Colaiacovo and David Backes scored one apiece, and backup backstop Ben Bishop (20 shots, 20 saves) was perfect in relief of Conklin (5 shots, 3 goals).

The question now for the Ducks is, who can stop the bleeding?

A backup throughout his four-year NHL career, McElhinney clearly has hit the ceiling in his short time as a starter. In losing three consecutive starts, he's allowed 16 goals on 68 shots -- a miserable .765 save percentage and 6.90 goals-against average. Pielmeier wasn't much better, though the 21-year-old was probably only viewed as an emergency option when he was recalled earlier in the week from AHL affiliate Syracuse.

Consider this an emergency.

The Ducks' momentum officially took a turn for the worse Friday.

If the excuse of a back-and-forth game against a high-scoring Washington Capitals squad served as an excuse in Wednesday's 7-6 loss in Anaheim, it was tougher to justify a 5-1 loss on the road to Minnesota. Corey Perry deflected a Bobby Ryan shot past Niklas Backstrom 3:30 into the game, but the Wild answered with five straight - including two on the power play and one short-handed - to ice the game.

Curtis McElhinney stopped 21 of 26 shots and looked no less vulnerable Friday than he did two days earlier. He allowed goals on consecutive shots by Eric Nystrom and Kyle Brodziak 27 seconds apart in the second period, making it a 4-1 game, and prompting Randy Carlyle to call timeout. Carlyle allowed his goalie to stay in, but one has to figure that the leash on McElhinney is a bit shorter now. Timo Pielmeier served as the backup for the second straight game, and he might well be the starter tomorrow night when the Ducks visit St. Louis.

Former Duck Matt Cullen, Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu also scored for Minnesota. Koivu scored at 5:01 of the first period, then blocked an Andy Sutton shot at 7:09 and didn't return. But the Ducks (32-23-4) couldn't take advantage of a Wild squad (31-22-5) missing its best player.

The back-to-back losses mean the Ducks are still stuck in the same 68-point logjam at the bottom of the tight Western Conference playoff picture.

A few more notes:

The Ducks acquired Ottawa Senators tough guy Jarkko Ruutu in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft Thursday. The Finnish left wing will not be able to join the team right away until he obtains a work visa.

In the meantime, Ruutu told reporters on a conference call that he's just happy to be joining a playoff-contending team. The rebuilding Senators, mired in last place in the Eastern Conference, have also traded veteran forwards Chris Kelly and Mike Fisher in the past week.

"I'm excited to go to Anaheim," Ruutu said. "They have a good team, a couple Finnish guys, too. ... When you re out of the playoffs, you're not really playing for anything. Suddenly you get traded to a team that's been plaing really well lately, it's really exciting for me."

Alex Semin's third goal of the game, with 1:47 left in the third period, sent the Ducks to a wild 7-6 loss to the Washington Capitals at Honda Center.

Easily lost in the 13-goal outburst was the fact that the Ducks squandered a golden opportunity to take over first place in the Pacific Division.

The Dallas Stars suffered their second loss in as many days, 4-2 to the Calgary Flames, creating a five-way logjam in the Western Conference standings. The Ducks (32-22-4) are mired in the middle with the fourth through eighth-place teams all tied at 68 points. The entire Pacific Division is separated by two points, from first-place Phoenix (30-19-9, 69 points) to fifth-place Los Angeles (32-22-3, 67 points).

Just easily overlooked was the postgame announcement of a trade.

The strange symptoms that shelved Jonas Hiller earlier this month -- and perplexed the Ducks -- have landed the goalie on injured reserve again.

Hiller was placed on the injured list with light-headedness after the goalie reported symptoms at Tuesday's practice. He will miss at least the next three games and is eligible to be activated on Monday. Timo Pielmeier was recalled from ECHL affiliate Elmira and figures to back up Curtis McElhinney tonight against the Washington Capitals.

The Ducks play back-to-back games Friday and Saturday in Minnesota and St. Louis, respectively.

Nine is a good number of personnel to have if you're managing a baseball team, but if you're counting defensemen on an NHL team, it's best to stop at seven or eight.

Virtually unprompted, Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle was quick to note this morning that his blue line numbers nine (Carlyle had been asked where Francois Beauchemin will ultimately land in the lineup, and we'll get to that in a bit). When the topic was brought up again later in his post-practice presser, Carlyle said that he has never dealt with that many defensemen as an NHL head coach.

The closest comparison he could draw was from his days as head coach and general manager of the Manitoba Moose, preparing for the AHL and IHL postseasons with a surplus of blue-liners.

"Some days the coach's job is expanded a little bit, and changes on a day to day basis," he said. "Sometimes you don't have enough, and when you have a wealth of them it's a pain at times, but it's one of those pains that you'd rather have too many than too little."

Aaron Voros' brief time in Anaheim came to an end Tuesday when the veteran was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2011 entry draft.

In 12 games with the Ducks, Voros had no goals, no assists, a minus-4 rating and 43 penalty minutes. The 29-year-old left wing, who was assigned to the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch after clearing waivers last week, will report to the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate.

With the Maple Leafs, Voros would be reunited with Mike Brown, the same player he was signed in the off-season to replace in the lineup. Unlike Brown, however, Voros was never a steady contributor as the fourth line left wing. He appeared in just 11 of the team's first 31 games before he broke an orbital bone during a fight in Vancouver.

After coming off injured reserve, Voros played only one game - Feb. 2 against the San Jose Sharks - before being placed on waivers.

It's the second trade between the two teams in the last week. The Ducks pried Francois Beauchemin from Toronto for Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner and a conditional draft pick last week.

With the trade deadline 13 days away, one has to wonder: Will there be a third?

So much for the concept of a "trap game."

The rebuilding Edmonton Oilers banished any notions of upsetting the Ducks, who were coming off quality wins in Vancouver and Calgary, by sending a meager 12 shots toward Jonas Hiller -- a new record for the fewest shots by an Anaheim opponent in a shutout win.

Bobby Ryan scored twice and Brandon McMillan and Teemu Selanne tallied goals as the Ducks completed a sweep of their four-game Northwest Division road trip. Their sixth straight road win is the longest active streak in the league and one shy of a franchise record.

Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf had a pair of assists, on both of Ryan's goals. All of Anaheim's top three lines figured into the scoring. Ryan's second goal of the game, at 1:31 of the third period, chased Edmonton starter Devan Dubnyk (15 shots-11 saves).

The Washington Capitals pay a rare visit to Honda Center on Wednesday. By then, the Ducks could be playing for sole possession of first place in the division. Anaheim (32-21-4) and Dallas (31-19-6) both have 68 points, most in the Pacific, but Dallas currently holds the top spot by virtue of having played one fewer game. The Stars are in the midst of a 1-6 slump and visit Edmonton on Tuesday, when they will make up the game in hand.

A few more notes, courtesy of the Ducks' PR staff:

Cam Fowler's goal with 18.6 seconds left in overtime allowed the Ducks to clinch a back-and-forth battle in a hostile environment.

Saku Koivu scored a pair of goals, Brandon McMillan scored short-handed, and Teemu Selanne's power-play goal with 2:07 left in the third period sent the game to overtime tied at 4.

Curtis McElhinney got the start with a healthy Jonas Hiller serving as the backup. He got help from a post in the third period, a missed breakaway opportunity in overtime, and finished with 21 saves. Rene Bourque, Olli Jokinen, Jarome Iginla and Curtis Glencross scored the Flames' goals.

Calgary lost for just the second time in its last 10 games and suffered the same fate as conference-leading Vancouver two days before. Anaheim can complete the Western Canada sweep Sunday in Edmonton - an easy one to overlook but also the most winnable game of an otherwise tough trip.

A few more notes: 

Jonas Hiller was activated off injured reserve Friday, and the goaltender will be available for tonight's game against the Calgary Flames. Hiller has missed the last two games after experiencing fatigue and light-headedness, while Curtis McElhinney has gone 2-0 against the Avalanche and Canucks as the starter. McElhinney could be in goal at the Saddledome tonight against his former team.

Timo Pielmeier, the backup to McElhinney the last two games, was assigned to ECHL affiliate Elmira. The Jackals are in Ontario this weekend for a rare West Coast road trip. Pielmeier did not appear in either game for the Ducks.

Ryan Getzlaf and the Ducks didn't ease into anything in Vancouver.

The captain played 21:45 in his first game since Dec. 28, and the Ducks used a big lead to help hold off the Canucks. Getzlaf's only point was this beautiful assist on Bobby Ryan's first goal of the game, which gave the Ducks a 3-0 lead at 4:12 of the second period.

He also made an impact on Dan Hamhuis, planting the defenseman dangerously into the end boards on this shoulder-on-shoulder check. There's already a debate raging over whether or not it was a clean hit.

Ryan had two goals, Jason Blake and Brandon McMillan had the others, and Curtis McElhinney made 16 of his 36 saves in the final period.

A few more notes:

Aaron Voros was deemed the odd man out today when the Ducks activated captain Ryan Getzlaf from injured reserve as expected. Voros, who cleared waivers this morning, was assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.

The 29-year-old hasn't played a game in the minors since 2007-08 when the Minnesota Wild sent him to their AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros, for 12 games.

Voros missed nearly two months with a broken orbital bone, suffered in a Dec. 8 fight at Vancouver. He returned to play one game with the Ducks on Feb. 2 against San Jose, going scoreless.

Voros' demotion means the Ducks will carry nine defensemen and the minimum 12 forwards into tonight's game against the Vancouver Canucks. Defenseman Francois Beauchemin, acquired earlier today from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Joffrey Lupul, will be scratched as he is en route to Western Canada.

The Ducks will be posting a complete transcript of this morning's conference calls with Francois Beauchemin and general manager Bob Murray soon.

In the meantime, here are five things you need to know:

1. Beauchemin isn't playing tonight. He's flying to Vancouver today, then will hopefully practice with the Ducks tomorrow and play Friday night in Calgary, Murray said.

2. Murray said he determined the Ducks were a playoff team when they rallied in January with captain Ryan Getzlaf on injured reserve. Then he determined the team needed the most help on defense now - but not down the road, with youngsters Cam Fowler, Luca Sbisa and prospect Nick Schultz developing well. That made Jake Gardiner expendable. "We gave them a good young prospect here," Murray said. "We feel we're really deep at that position of prospects, on defense."

3. Including Beauchemin, the Ducks have nine defensemen. Asked if another move was in the works, Murray said "nothing's imminent." So it looks like there will be eight defensemen and 13 forwards available tonight in Vancouver. Left wing Aaron Voros, who cleared waivers this morning, might be back in the lineup.

4. Beauchemin admitted he "didn't really like it" when the Ducks didn't match the Maple Leafs' offer to him in free agency in June 2009. But he liked Anaheim enough to put the Ducks on his list of 12 teams he would accept a trade to. "Bob (Murray) was the guy who mentioned to (Brian Burke) in that (Sergei) Fedorov deal, to include me in it, because he saw me playing the American League five, six years ago," Beauchemin said, "and our relationship hasn't really changed."

5. Lupul said he has "a lot to prove" to a Ducks team that "just let me go after 20 games." He'll have to wait - the two teams won't play each other again this season.

Defenseman Francois Beauchemin is coming back to Anaheim in a major deal announced Wednesday that will send forward Joffrey Lupul, defenseman prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2013 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Beauchemin, who played for the Ducks from 2006-09, has two goals, 12 points and 16 penalty minutes in 54 games with the Maple Leafs this season. An alternate captain in Toronto, the 30-year-old Beauchemin was second only to Dion Phaneuf in ice time (23:45) and was leading the team in blocked shots (131). In addition to Beauchemin's physical play, the Ducks get a more reliable puck-mover from the back end than they currently possess outside Lubomir Visnovsky and Cam Fowler.

Lupul had scored five goals and 13 points in 26 games since returning from a blood infection in December. The 27-year-old winger was well off his career point production, relegated to a third-line role and second-unit power play duty while averaging just 13:13 per game.

Gardiner, 20, is a former first-round draft pick (17th overall, 2008) playing for the University of Wisconsin. In 30 games this season, he has seven goals, 30 points and a plus-20 rating.

The trade will allow the Ducks to save $450,000 toward the salary cap this year and next. In terms of actual salary, Beauchemin represents a net savings this year ($4.25 to $3.55 million) and next year ($4.25 to $3.8 million) and comes off the books in 2012, a year ahead of Lupul.

More details to follow ...

The Ducks placed goalie Jonas Hiller on injured reserve Tuesday retroactive to Feb. 3, as the goalie is still day-to-day with fatigue and light-headedness.

By placing Hiller on IR, the Ducks effectively ruled him out for tomorrow's game in Vancouver, and opened up a roster spot for Timo Pielmeier without having to burn their second and final 48-hour emergency goaltender exception. (The Ducks burned their first last weekend, adding Pielmeier as the backup in Colorado, which temporarily put them over the 23-man roster limit).

Hiller will be able to return to the lineup Friday in Calgary if he's deemed healthy. Hiller hasn't played since the first 12 minutes of a 4-3 loss to San Jose last Wednesday.

Pielmeier was recalled from Elmira of the ECHL and figures to back up Curtis McElhinney against the Canucks.

Which Ray Emery are the Ducks getting?

That's the million-dollar question - rather, the prorated $500,000 question so long as he's in the NHL, or the prorated $105,000 question as long as he's in Syracuse. And from a physical standpoint, it's a question no one - not even Emery himself - will be able to answer until he is playing a live hockey game.

He hasn't done that in more than a year.

This isn't the only demerit in the Ray Emery file, but it's among the most relevant to the Ducks:

That incident took place Feb. 10, 2007, almost four years to the day before Emery is set to join the Ducks organization - presuming the goalie clears waivers tomorrow and is assigned to AHL affiliate Syracuse.

Emery was playing for Ottawa at the time, and Ducks center Maxim Lapierre was a rookie with the Montreal Canadiens. The two might not see each other in the same dressing room until late in the season - if Emery gets an NHL call-up at all. Still, it was worth asking Lapierre how he felt about possibly being teammates with Emery.

After several days of scuttlebutt, the Ducks officially announced the signing of Ray Emery, the man in the losing net when the Ottawa Senators lost to Anaheim in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

The scuttlebutt isn't over. Emery must pass through waivers before the Ducks can bring Emery aboard and assign him to American Hockey League affiliate Syracuse. Emery's two-way contract pays $500,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the minors.

"Ray Emery has been a solid NHL netminder for several years and is only 28 years old," Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. "We are going to give him a chance to go to Syracuse and establish himself again. He's worked hard to get back into shape and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do."

Emery hasn't played in 2010-11 while recovering from hip surgery that was performed in April of last year. In 29 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, Emery went 16-11-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.

Emery's agent, J.P. Barry, said last week that the goalie has worked hard to allay concerns about his health and could be ready to play in an AHL game Friday.

The Ducks assigned Timo Pielmeier to ECHL affiliate Elmira on Sunday, mainly because it was more practical than assigning the goalie to AHL affiliate Syracuse.

The Crunch don't play again until Friday. The Elmira Jackals will be playing Tuesday in Las Vegas, and Friday through Sunday in Ontario. Pielmeier served as the backup to Curtis McElhinney on Saturday in Denver while Jonas Hiller was dealing with fatigue symptoms. If Hiller is still ill by the time of the Ducks' next game Wednesday (at Vancouver), Pielmeier will be closer to the West Coast - just in case.

If he's still a Jackal by Friday, Pielmeier might face the Ontario Reign again for the first time since last season, when he regularly visited Ontario as a member of the Bakersfield Condors. The 21-year-old has appeared in 27 games for Syracuse this season, going 10-14-1 with a 3.33 goals against average and .901 save percentage

Corey Perry completed his second career hat trick with an empty-net goal with 17.3 seconds left, and Curtis McElhinney notched his second career shutout.

Both players accomplished the feat earlier this season - Perry's first career hat trick came Dec. 12 against the Minnesota Wild, and McElhinney's first shutout came Nov. 10 against the Islanders.

There were some notable firsts. It was the Ducks' first win against the Avs this season (on their first try) and it was the first time an Anaheim player scored all three of his team's goals in a winning effort. Perry punched in a power-play goal at 13:51 of the first period, the Ducks' only power-play goal on six tries. That included a 1:29-long 5-on-3 shift spanning the first two periods.

Colorado couldn't take any momentum from the kill, and Perry made them pay. He spun T.J. Galiardi around in his tracks before scoring an even-strength goal at 1:53 of the third period,
before completing the scoring into an empty net.

"Their best player was real good tonight," head coach Joe Sacco lamented afterward.


McElhinney was good too. The former Colorado College standout made a pair of outstanding saves, and a lot of routine ones, en route to the 25-save shutout. Jonas Hiller was scratched due to fatigue and Timo Pielmeier served as the backup to McElhinney.

"Curtis played well back there and made some big saves in crucial times," Perry said. "The puck was bouncing around a little bit tonight and they had some pressure on us. We had some big blocks and we made sure that we could try to help Curtis out."

The Avalanche were shut out for the fourth time this season, and lost for the fifth time in their last six games. While Colorado has fallen out of the Western Conference's top eight, the Ducks used the win to temporarily tie San Jose at 62 points, three behind first-place Dallas. The Stars are playing the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.


A few more notes:

Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller is suffering from fatigue and light-headedness and will be held out of tomorrow's game in Denver against the Avalanche as a precaution. He is day-to-day.

Goaltender Timo Pielmeier has been recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League, and will likely be the backup to Curtis McElhinney. McElhinney played the final 48 minutes Wednesday in relief after Hiller allowed three goals on 10 shots in a 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Pielmeier has never appeared in a regular-season NHL game.

Adding Pielmeier gives the Ducks 24 players on their active roster. However, a team spokesperson relayed that the NHL allows a 48-hour goaltender exemption - during which teams can recall a goalie for up to 48 hours as the 24th player - twice per season. Pielmeier is eligible to play because of the exemption.

In a very random turn of events, Jason Bailey is back with the Ducks' ECHL affiliate.

The right wing recently sued the Ducks, claiming he was the target of discrimination while playing for their then-ECHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors in the 2008-09 season. It's not that Bailey couldn't wait to get back - this season, the ECHL's Elmira Jackals happen to be a shared affiliate of both the Ducks and Ottawa Senators, Bailey's current NHL organization. So when Bailey was demoted from the AHL's Binghamton Senators on Thursday, he just happened to be headed to Elmira.

The Jackals' head coach, Malcolm Cameron, isn't the same coach who had Bailey two seasons ago and was named in the suit against the Ducks (though like Marty Raymond, Cameron isn't an employee of the Ducks).

Ray Emery's agent confirmed that the Ducks are one of "three or four" teams with interest in the goaltender, who is attempting to come back from a potentially career-threatening hip injury.

"I've had really good discussions with the Ducks," J.P. Barry said Thursday. "I've been reaching out to teams because I feel that Ray's ready."

Emery has not played since his last game with the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 1, 2010. He was shut down for the season after being diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a condition in which bone cells die due to a lack of blood supply. The 28-year-old goalie underwent surgery to graft a bone from his lower leg into his hip and has been aggressively rehabilitating since.

Just how ready is Emery to return?

"I think if we put Ray on a team Monday, he could play Friday," Barry said.

The first 11 minutes, 15 seconds of hockey at Honda Center rendered the next 48:45 moot. Almost.

At least, it made for fairly easy writing on deadline. Seeing Jonas Hiller allow three goals in that early span, before heading to the bench, was a rare sight. Just as rare were the nature of the goals - each a little less excusable than the one before. Hiller said he didn't see Jason Demers' shot from just inside the blue line until it was in the back of the net. A few seconds later, Hiller was on the bench, and the Western Conference standings were guaranteed to be a gnarled mess.

The Sharks (27-19-6) and Ducks (28-21-4) each have 60 points now, cosmetically tied for fifth place in the standings but San Jose has the advantage of having one game in hand. Clearly, playing the Phoenix Coyotes the night before was a tremendous advantage, as the Sharks' quick start was too much for Hiller and the Ducks.

"I think when they scored on the first shift it should have been a wake-up call," said Bobby Ryan, who had one of the Ducks' three goals. "We let them build off it. I don't think you can discredit Jonas. He stood in there and some of the goals were tough to see, especially the third one. You don't see it much."

Cam Fowler and Joffrey Lupul also scored goals, with Lupul netting his first since Dec. 28. Curtis McElhinney made 17 saves - 10 more than Hiller - allowing only a power-play putback by Ryane Clowe at 15:39 of the second period.

More details in tomorrow's editions. A few more notes:

I had some burning questions for Corey Perry and Cam Fowler after watching the two compete at the NHL's All-Star weekend in Raleigh.

On Jan. 8, Fowler won the Ducks' intrasquad speedskating competition in 13.945 seconds. The course looked the same, and the timing was just as digital, but there's no way of knowing if we can make an apples-to-apples comparison to the times recorded by the All-Stars at Saturday's fastest skater comptition. Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders won the event, posting a low time of 14.061 seconds.

If in fact Fowler's time can be accurately compared to the past winners of the league's fastest skater competitions, his 13.945 puts him in elite company. Among the seven who have recorded better times since 1992? Fowler's landlord/mentor, Scott Niedermayer.

So why did Fowler compete in the hardest shot competition instead?