Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner skated with his teammates Tuesday, but left practice earlier than the rest. He didn’t play in a 4-1 victory Sunday over the Winnipeg Jets because the team said he was “a little banged up.” Korbinian Holzer replaced Stoner on Sunday and could again Wednesday, when the Ducks play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Key play: Mike Santorelli skated hard to the front of the net, picked up a rebound of a Nick Ritchie shot and beat Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead after only 4 minutes, 59 seconds of their exhibition game Thursday at the Honda Center. Shawn Horcoff and Carl Hagelin (empty net) also scored in the Ducks’ 3-0 victory.
Between the pipes: John Gibson started in goal for the Ducks, his second appearance of the preseason. He also faced the Avalanche in a 5-4 overtime loss Sept. 22 in Denver. Gibson stopped all 20 shots he faced in two periods of work, departing because he was “under the weather.” Anton Khudobin replaced him to start the third and made 11 saves.
Injury update: Defenseman Simon Despres suffered from general soreness and did not play against the Avalanche after sitting out of Wednesday’s practice. He last played against the Kings on Tuesday, a 2-1 victory in overtime at Staples Center.
Lineup news: Hagelin and defenseman Clayton Stoner made their exhibition debuts. Hagelin was brought along more slowly than his new teammates after he was acquired from the New York Rangers in a June trade. Stoner suffered from an upper-body injury.
Next: The Ducks play host to the San Jose Sharks in their exhibition finale Saturday.
Here’s the link to the story in the Vancouver Sun newspaper: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/player+charged+with+unlawful+grizzly+hunt+central+coast/11369438/story.html?__lsa=7d74-a052