Remember when Adam Henrique scored 30 goals one season?
He does. His fans do. And the Anaheim Ducks would love for that to be a memory of their own in the near future.
The good news Henrique, who was traded to the Ducks from the New Jersey Devils for Sami Vatanen 10 days ago -- and all involved for that matter -- is that he’s rekindled that penchant for putting pucks past goalies in his new threads.
Henrique scored for the third time in five games on Friday since joining the Ducks and now has six points in that span. That puts him one goal shy of the four he scored in the first 24 games of the season with the Devils. Prior to joining the Ducks, Henrique had one goal in his previous 15 games.
Evidently, the change of pace has helped.
(Perhaps Matt Duchene in Ottawa should take a few notes.)
Indeed, Henrique, 27, has found new life on a line with Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell. The battered Ducks envisioned some adding scoring when they slotted Henrique on the top line in Anaheim and he’s since delivered.
The move has had added benefits as well, including getting Perry going.
Perry has missed a playmaker like Ryan Getzlaf in the middle. Getzlaf has been limited to six games this season due to two separate injuries.
Perry has found some good chemistry with Henrique, managing to score twice in as many games last week, with Henrique playing a part in both tallies. Perry has also returned the favour, assisting on two of Henrique’s three markers.
It’s a good sign for the Ducks, who might be getting healthy soon to boot.
God knows they need it. Even with the offensive boost, the Ducks have still only managed two wins out of their past 10 games.
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck