ST. LOUIS — Some of the sizzle is gone, but the ease at which right wing Troy Terry plays returned when center Ryan Getzlaf rejoined the Ducks’ lineup Saturday after a five-game layoff because of a lower-body injury. Terry’s 16-game point streak ended last month, but his game seemed sharper Saturday.
“The game just seems easier when he’s out there,” Terry said. “He’s got the puck and he slows it down. I’ve played enough with him now that I think he might not see me, but he definitely knows where I am. Just being able to read off him and the way he slows the game down.”
Terry, Getzlaf and left wing Adam Henrique had formed a very productive line, helping to raise the level of Terry’s play to heights not seen in his 158-game NHL career. Terry and Getzlaf, especially, were in sync in ways they never were in past unions. In fact, they weren’t good together until this season.
At one point, they were the Ducks’ leading scorers, with Terry at the top of the list, thanks to his 16-game point streak. Getzlaf appeared rejuvenated in his 17th season in the NHL and Henrique seemed to have put last season’s struggles in the rearview mirror.
However, Ducks coach Dallas Eakins had to adjust on the fly when Getzlaf and Henrique were sidelined by lower-body injuries only a couple of games apart. Getzlaf was hurt in a Nov. 30 game against the Kings and Henrique was sidelined in a Dec. 3 game against the Calgary Flames.
Not coincidentally, Terry cooled off dramatically without them. Going into Sunday’s finale of the Ducks’ five-game trip against the St. Louis Blues, Terry had scored only once in six games since Getzlaf was hurt, a goal Dec. 1 against Vegas. Terry’s last assist was Dec. 6 against Washington.
Overall, Terry led the Ducks with 15 goals and 26 points going into Sunday, and Getzlaf had one goal and a team-leading 19 assists. Henrique had six goals and 10 assists before he was injured.
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Getzlaf returned to the lineup for the Ducks’ 1-0 loss Saturday to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and had an instant impact on Terry’s play. Terry led the Ducks with five shots on goal and was dangerous on almost every shift, particularly while generating three excellent scoring chances in the second period.
“It was his first game back, but I thought he was fantastic,” Terry said of Getzlaf, who had three shots on goal and logged 21:25 of ice time, tops among the Ducks’ forwards. “I think he was all over the place. It’s not just me. He gives our whole team a boost. Just a calming presence in our locker room, too.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Ducks recalled Lukas Dostal from their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, to serve as Anthony Stolarz’s backup Sunday. Dostal was summoned after John Gibson was forced from Saturday’s game because of a lower-body injury. In addition, the Ducks reassigned center Bo Groulx to the Gulls.
Dostal, 21, is 5-5-0 with a 2.83 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage in 10 appearances with the Gulls this season, his first full season in the AHL after he split 2020-21 with Ilves Tampere in Finland and San Diego. He had yet to appear in an NHL game.