The Ducks announced before Tuesday’s game against the Stars in Dallas that team captain Ryan Getzlaf had returned to Orange County to undergo an appendectomy Wednesday. He had been suffering from pain associated from appendicitis off and on for about the last six weeks, according to a team spokesman. Getzlaf is expected to be sidelined for up to 12 days.

Getzlaf hasn’t scored a goal and has one assist in eight games to start the season, one of the many reasons the Ducks are off to a 1-5-2 record. He also has a minus-5 defensive rating. He had a team-leading 70 points, including 25 goals last season, when the Ducks won their third consecutive Pacific Division championship and advanced to the Western Conference finals for the fourth time in club history.

The Ducks went into Tuesday’s game with only six goals scored in eight games, the fewest after that many contests in the modern history of the NHL.

The Ducks are 30-17-6 without Getzlaf in the lineup since his rookie season in 2005-06, including 1-2-2 without him last season, according to research provided by crack radio analyst Dan Wood. Getzlaf could be out for between two to six games, including Thursday’s game at St. Louis, the last stop on their five-game trip.

Rickard Rakell moved into Getzlaf’s spot on the Ducks’ line, between left wing Carl Hagelin and right wing Corey Perry, for the start of Tuesday’s game.