Carlsson has not played since December 21st but is expected to make his return to the lineup on Monday afternoon against the Florida Panthers. The 2023 second-overall pick has eight goals and seven assists through the first 23 games of his rookie season.
Gibson will look to rebound after allowing 15 combined goals in his last three starts (0-3-0) but will be hard-pressed to do so in a matchup against the Florida Panthers, who are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games. Gibson has a 3.10 GAA and .900 SV% in 26 games this season (7-17-0).
Gibson presumably suffered the injury at some point in the second period. He finished the second frame but did not make it out for the start of the third. Lukas Dostal will play out the remainder of the game. We should expect to receive an update on Gibson's injury and a possible timeline for his return following the completion of Thursday's game.
Gibson will be back between the pipes for the first time since January 5th after Lukas Dostal got the nod in each of the Ducks' last two games. Gibson took the loss his last time out, allowing three goals on 27 shots as Anaheim fell to the Jets by a score of 3-1. He has just seven wins on the season and an NHL-leading 16 losses to go along with a .903 SV% and a 2.97 GAA. He'll have a hard time snapping a personal three-game losing streak on Thursday with the Ducks being +260 underdogs in Carolina.
Mintyukov's injury wasn't the only piece of bad news the Ducks were handed on Thursday, with the team also announcing Trevor Zegras would miss six to eight weeks with a broken ankle. The updated timeline for Mintyukov has him on track to return near the end of February. The 2022 tenth-overall pick was off to a fine start in his rookie campaign, compiling two goals and 17 assists across 40 games.
It's another tough blow in what's been a frustrating season for Zegras, as this most recent injury puts him on track to return in late February at the earliest. He previously missed almost six weeks with a lower-body injury he suffered on November 7th, and endured a slow start to his season prior to that. He has just four goals and three assists in 20 games on the year.
McGinn has been held without a point in 13 straight games and will return to the lineup on Thursday after being a healthy scratch for the Ducks in their previous contest. The 2023-24 campaign has been disappointing for the 29-year-old McGinn, who is pacing for the worst offensively output of his nine-year career with only two points (1G / 1A) in 19 games.
Johnston has played 29 games for the Ducks this season, scoring two points (0G / 2A) while averaging only 7:28 time-on-ice. The Ducks are expected to welcome Brock McGinn and Bo Groulx back into the lineup on Thursday as Johnston will be a healthy scratch.
Mintyukov left the Ducks' game Tuesday after 12:53 TOI due to an undisclosed injury and did not practice Wednesday. The 20-year-old rookie standout is without a timetable to return as the Ducks' have provided little updates with Anaheim on an off day Wednesday. He has excelled in the first 40 games of his career, with two goals, 17 assists, 60 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -11 plus/minus.
Carlsson seems to be ahead of his original four-to-six-week prognosis after suffering a sprained right MCL in an awkward collision with Mackenzie Weegar of the Calgary Flames in late December. The 2023 second-overall pick has eight goals and seven assists through the first 23 games of his rookie season.
Zegras played only 2:05 time-on-ice before suffering a lower-body injury and exiting the game in the first period. The talented Zegras has been limited to only 20 games this season, scoring seven points (4G / 3A) in a disappointing season riddled with injuries. Zegras joins Leo Carlsson (lower-body) on the sidelines, a major blow for an Anaheim Ducks team that already ranks fourth-worst in the league offensively (2.53 GF / GP).
Dostal will get the nod in back-to-back for the first time since December 23rd as he will be between the pipes when Anaheim travel to Nashville on Tuesday. Dostal took the loss his last time out, allowing three goals on 28 shots enroute to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Red Wings on Sunday. His record on the season sits at 6-9-1 to go along with a .901 SV% and 3.50 GAA. He'll have his hands full on Tuesday with Anaheim being +190 underdogs in Nashville.
McGinn will take a seat on Tuesday in favour of Brett Leason. McGinn has one goal and one assist in 19 games this season.
Leason rejoins the Ducks' lineup after serving as a healthy scratch for Sunday's game against the Red Wings. He has six goals and five assists in 33 games this season.
It was a shocking, blockbuster trade between the Flyers and Ducks on Monday, as Philadelphia opted to move on from their fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for the sixth-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Jamie Drysdale, and a second-round draft pick. While Drysdale already has parts of four NHL seasons under his belt, Gauthier is still playing with Boston College in the NCAA, where he's racked up 13 goals and ten assists in 17 games this season.
