Selanne sidelined with broken jaw

Given the fact that the Ducks pulled off several impressive post-season runs over the last years and even managed to win the Stanley Cup in 2007, their performance thus far has been nothing else than extremely disappointing. Just being 12^th in the Western Conference while posting a mediocre 21-20-7 record, Ryan Getzlaf and company did certainly not live up to their own expectations.

That being said, Anaheim showed some progress as they managed to win five out of their last six and looked like they might be able to make a run for the eight playoff seed down the stretch. Albeit the Ducks are still 6 points out of the playoff picture, there are still nearly 40 games to be played and the team around Corey Perry certainly has the individual talent to continue their up-hill battle. However, the franchise from California experienced a significant setback when Teemu Selanne broke his jaw in the Ducks’ encounter with the Boston Bruins last Wednesday. According to Anaheim’s medical staff, the right wing from Finland might miss up to six weeks of play until his surgically repaired jaw will have healed. Considering that Selanne is an essential part of the Ducks’ offense, his loss is bound to make things more difficult for coach Randy Carlyle’s squad. In 30 appearances this season, Teemu Selanne scored 16 goals and added 7 assists for a total of 23 points. However, the scoring of the 10-time NHL All Star will not be the only thing missing as his veteran presence on the ice has often been an important factor when the game was on the line. Nonetheless, the underachieving Ducks will have to do their best to find the net without Selanne in the lineup and make it to the Olympic break without falling further behind in the playoff race.

You can watch all games of the Anaheim Ducks right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.