Ducks vs. Toronto
at Honda Center, 7, FS West
Homecoming: Frederik Andersen returns to Anaheim for first time since he was traded.
Gibby vs. Freddie Part II will have to wait.
One is mending and the other is minding the net a lot better than he was earlier in the season.
John Gibson and Frederik Andersen were driving forces behind the Ducks’ success last season. They combined to win the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed before the Ducks chose Gibson as their franchise goalie and traded Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Ducks’ game Friday against the Maple Leafs could have been a rematch of a Dec.19 game but Gibson is still recovering from a lowerbody injury. He took the ice before the Ducks’ first postbye week practice Thursday but didn’t stay long.
“When he tells us he’s right, he’s right,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “Injuries at this time of the year to personnel ... you would like them back earlier the better, but you can’t hurry nature’s healing of the body.”
It’s not certain if Andersen will make his first appearance in Anaheim since the June trade, but it is certain that he’s gotten back on track after a choppy start under hockey’s brightest spotlight.
After signing a five-year contract extension with the Maple Leafs that pays an average of of $5 million per season, Andersen had a 3.67 goals-against average in October. He improved steadily, carried a 1.66 average for December and had a 2.75 average with 24 wins and three shutouts through Wednesday.
Andersen said he was trying to do too much and was going too far out of his net in an attempt to be aggressive.
“It took me a few games just to kind of be myself,” he said. “When you go somewhere else, you’re going to try to do so much more. … I knew I just had to figure out a way to just be myself and keep playing like that.
“That was probably the biggest key.”
His struggles came to a head Oct.25, when he gave up seven goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But it also was a turning point.
“After that I started playing well,” Andersen said. “It kind of clicked for me mentally. It allowed me to just relax and play my game instead of trying to be someone else. I found my game again, and I’ve been playing good since.”
Andersen and Gibson’s statistics are roughly the same, though Gibson carries a considerably lower goals-against average of 2.24. While it will take years to determine if they kept the right goalie, the Ducks know what they’re in for if they face Andersen again.
“He’s a big reason, if not one of the bigger reasons, they are where they are,” Andrew Cogliano said. “He’s a good goalie.
“I think he’s earned the praise he’s got. He’s a professional, and he’s definitely learned as a young guy to do the right things, and I think it’s paying off for him.”
The bye week hasn’t paid off for a lot of NHL teams, many coming out flat. Carlyle mandated that his players stay in condition during the hiatus.
“It just can’t be five days laying in the sand,” Carlyle said. “There is a requirement here that we want to have success and give ourselves the best chance for success. There’s a responsibility that has to be borne by the player.”
Many Ducks could exhale with the passing of Wednesday’s trade deadline and the roster mostly intact. Brandon Montour, recalled Thursday, is one of several young defensemen thought to be a trade asset, but he didn’t check Twitter.
“I didn’t really focus on it too much,” Montour said. “It’s a business. If things happen, it happens. You move on. Obviously, these guys drafted me and I want to play here as long as I can. That’s the goal for me.”
Marchant role
Todd Marchant has assumed an on-ice coaching role and will help guide the Ducks’ young players. Marchant, a former Ducks wing, has been director of player development the last six seasons.
TONIGHT
VS. TORONTO When: 7. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830. Update: The Maple Leafs last week added veteran center Brian Boyle and this week made a deadline trade for right wing Eric Fehr. Cam Fowler’s third-period goal gave the Ducks a 3-2 win at Toronto on Dec.19.