The Anaheim Ducks will have Chris Stewart in their lineup for the first time since Dec. 21.
Chances are, Stewart is likely to either fight, score, fight and score or just sort of slip under the radar against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.
Jiri Sekac appears to be the odd man out in this exchange:
Stewart back in, Sekac out for Ducks. Spidey sense intact to start 2016.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) January 2, 2016
The Ducks are on a three-game winning streak, including two straight shutouts by John Gibson, but it’s not like they’ve been blowing out opponents with consecutive 1-0 victories.
Speaking of those shutouts, Gibson is getting a breather in favor of Frederik Andersen.
In some ways that might seem baffling, yet Gibson played on Thursday and has been the guy in net for more than a week now, so why not take a bigger picture view by getting Andersen some reps and Gibson some rest?
(Yes, that last point might indeed seem dumb in retrospect if the Ducks have a rough night.)