Troy Bodie claimed by Carolina.

The Ducks will not see Troy Bodie again this season. The big winger was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes today.

The Hurricanes had a surplus of forwards but a paucity of size. Bodie (6-4, 213) has a few pounds on captain Eric Staal (6-4, 205) and according to the Raleigh News and Observer’s Canes Now blog, Bodie could be plugged into the lineup right away:

“We
did our homework on him the last 24 hours and we felt like there is
very little risk in this acquisition, with a player on a two-way
contract,” general manager Jim Rutherford said. “But the upside is that
he’s young, hard-working, a good team player. He obviously adds size and
he can play a gritty, physical game.”

Canes coach Paul Maurice said Bodie would
be at the morning skate Wednesday and indicated Bodie could be in the
lineup and on the fourth line for the Pittsburgh game on Friday. That
will add to the Canes’ surplus of forwards.

Bodie makes the league minimum $500,000 salary and is on a two-way contract, but the Ducks had a surplus of forwards themselves and Bodie hadn’t played in eight games. He had been surpassed on the depth chart by Aaron Voros and had little chance of finding a spot once Kyle Palmieri and Nick Bonino were recalled from Syracuse to form a more offensive-oriented third line.

A ninth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2003, Bodie had five goals, eight points and 87 penalty minutes in 57 NHL games, including one assist and seven PIM in nine games this season. In Anaheim, Bodie was probably most famous for winning a sushi-rolling contest last month.

The “Bodie”-licious Roll is still on the menu at RA Sushi in Chino Hills.

Troy Bodie placed on waivers.

The Ducks have placed Troy Bodie on waivers, giving the other NHL teams until 9 a.m. tomorrow to claim him. The 25-year-old winger has one assist and seven penalty minutes in nine games this season after making the Ducks’ opening-day roster for the first time.

Bodie had been a healthy scratch in eight straight games, with the team going in a more offensive-oriented direction for the third line after Kyle Palmieri and Nick Bonino were recalled from the American Hockey League. Bodie figured to be further pressed for playing time once Kyle Chipchura (concussion) and Joffrey Lupul (back) were cleared to play.

Green, Macenauer to AHL; opening-day roster takes shape.

Josh Green and Maxime Macenauer were assigned to AHL affiliate Syracuse on Monday, making them the final cuts of training camp. The Ducks have 26 players on their roster, but three (Toni Lydman, Joffrey Lupul, Jason Jaffray) are expected to start the season on injured reserve. That ought to bring Anaheim down to the league-maximum 23 active players two days ahead of the deadline.

It also clinches the team’s final forward positions for Dan Sexton and Troy Bodie, and eliminates the possibility of a third line centered by the 21-year-old Macenauer. Barring any moves between now and Friday’s season opener against Detroit, this is the team Randy Carlyle will ice against the Red Wings.

Going down the list of pre-camp questions, then:

Final roster cuts? Check.
Team captain? Ryan Getzlaf.
Team identity? Not yet.
Cam Fowler? In the NHL.
Bobby Ryan? Probably a left wing again.

There are still plenty of challenges in store – namely solidifying the defense pairings and finding three scoring lines – that Carlyle probably would like to have nailed down by now.

The Ducks’ final practice in Anaheim is tomorrow, and the team leaves Wednesday for Detroit.

Ducks 3, Edmonton 2.

The Ducks’ lineup looked different, and younger, in Edmonton than it has all season. In the end, a few familiar faces helped salvage a win at the end of a make-or-break road trip that has mostly served to break the Ducks’ playoff hopes.
Continue reading “Ducks 3, Edmonton 2.” »

Ducks 5, Avalanche 2.

Teemu Selanne got a 600-goal monkey off his back, and the Ducks are staying alive.

Selanne reached the milestone 34 seconds into the second period with Anaheim skating 5-on-4.

Jason Blake, Matt Beleskey, Troy Bodie and Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Ducks, who chased Craig Anderson with Bodie’s short-handed goal at 12:45 of the second period.

Jonas Hiller made 26 saves for the victory. Anaheim remains seven points out of the eighth and final playoff position, currently held by the Detroit Red Wings.

Flames 3, Ducks 1.

Troy Bodie’s first-period deflection of a Scott Niedermayer shot was all the Ducks would get against a stingy Flames defense.

Jonas Hiller made 35 saves but allowed a pair of goals to Jarome Iginla in the second period — the first on a one-timer and the second on a breakaway tip-in, to break a 1-1 tie.

The Ducks lost valuable ground in the Western Conference standings. Though not a must-win situation, Anaheim could have matched Calgary with 67 points and kept pace with Dallas and Detroit, who both won Saturday. Instead, they fell four points back of the eighth spot and sit in 10th place in the west with 20 games left in the regular season.

Ryan Getzlaf missed the game with a sprained ankle, forcing Randy Carlyle to juggle his lines. Petteri Nokelainen, Ryan Carter and mostly Saku Koivu alternated in and out of the top-two center positions.

The Ducks travel to Edmonton to play the Oilers at 4 p.m. Sunday, their final game before the Olympic break.

Kings 6, Ducks 4.

Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar scored in the final six minutes of the third period to break a 4-4 tie, and send the Ducks to their third loss in three meetings against their Southern California rivals.

The Ducks looked as good as dead at 1:44 of the third period, when Jack Johnson scored the Kings’ fourth straight unanswered goal to make it 4-1. But Troy Bodie, Matt Beleskey and Ryan Carter put pucks past Jonathan Quick over the next eight minutes to tie the game at 4, and put the Ducks in position to gain at least a point.
Continue reading “Kings 6, Ducks 4.” »

Bodie, Arty leave their marks.

Troy Bodie and Evgeny Artyukhin are a couple of 6-foot-4 heavyweights, standing on the far opposite end of the hockey spectrum of the slick-skating Finns Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu.

But with Selanne and Koivu injured, Artyukhin and Bodie filled the void in the Ducks’ lineup on Sunday, scoring goals 32 seconds apart in the second period against the Calgary Flames.
Continue reading “Bodie, Arty leave their marks.” »

Ducks 5, Calgary 4.

Undeterred by injuries and a 4-0 loss in their last outing, the Ducks treated 16,153 at Honda Center to two fights and three goals — and that was just in the first period.

After letting the Calgary Flames re-take the lead with three unanswered goals, Anaheim got the game-tying and game-winning goals from Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, respectively, in the third period.

Dan Sexton, Evgeny Artyukhin and Troy Bodie also scored, and Jonas Hiller recovered from a tough start in a 33-save effort.

Bodie’s goal was the first of his NHL career, and Hiller also recorded the second assist of his NHL career on the goal by Artyukhin.

The Ducks are 6-1-0 in their past seven games and 8-3-1 in their past 12. Their seven-game home ice winning streak is the longest active home streak in the league, and three shy of the franchise record set in 2008.