The veteran winger, among the few to play in every game this season, leads the Ducks in assists and points
ANAHEIM – Corey Perry was one of the few Ducks to have escaped injury but that is no longer the case. The winger is now part of a long list of players to miss a significant amount of games.
The Ducks say Perry will be lost on an unspecified “week-to-week basis” due to a lower-body injury suffered Monday night against Carolina. It comes just as they got longtime teammate Ryan Getzlaf back into the lineup following a five-week absence.
Perry was leading the Ducks with 16 assists and 22 points. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said the club’s top-line right wing will be evaluated again next week. He was injured in a collision with Carolina forward Jeff Skinner during the first period and gingerly skated off the ice with some assistance.
“Obviously he was hit above the knee last night and injured himself,” Carlyle said Tuesday. “He’s walking around now fine. When you see him, it’s not like he’s limping. He’s not on crutches or anything.
“He’s in the weight room this morning. That’s a great sign. But to give you a more definitive time frame, probably in a week or so.”
Injuries have been a never-ending storyline for the Ducks, who entered Monday’s contest with 183 man-games lost that is easily the most among the 31 NHL teams. Among those to miss 10 games or more have been Ryan Kesler, Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Ondrej Kase and Patrick Eaves.
“It’s frustrating,” Fowler said. “I guess you do kind of become numb to it, just because it seems to be making its way through the team. And to our high-caliber guys. It’s one thing to deal with injuries. It’s another when you have top guys that are constantly going down and that seems to be what’s happening with us right now.
“But we’re trying to stay positive. Stay focused. We’re obviously going to miss ‘Pears’ and wish him a speedy recovery. But we have to continue to push forward.”
The Ducks filled that new hole by recalling Kevin Roy from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Roy, who had four goals and an assist in 15 games, was sent down Monday after Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg made it back into the lineup.
“He did U-turn on I-5,” Carlyle said. “He got to San Diego and came right back. Those are the things that we stated. When you’re only 65 miles away and these incidents do happen and you’re forced to access people, it’s great that they’re not far away. One phone call and they’re back with us.”
Roy said he was in San Diego long enough to have dinner and watch the Monday Night Football game before returning to Anaheim. His strong first impression made his immediate recall a logical one.
“There’s a lot of good players here when everyone’s healthy,” Roy said. I think I did the right things.… You just got to be ready when they need you.”
Bad news has seemingly been around every corner for the Ducks, but Carlyle expressed optimism since Lindholm and Kesler are expected to join the team on its six-game road trip. Kesler is coming back from offseason hip surgery; Lindholm has missed the past four games due to an upper-body issue.
Nick Ritchie, who did not play Monday, is expected to practice Wednesday as he deals with an upper-body injury. Joseph Blandisi is recovering from an upper-body ailment and Carlyle said the winger is an option for Thursday’s game at St. Louis.
“You can’t do anything,” Carlyle said, discussing on the experience of losing players. “You play the hand you’re dealt and you go on. The good thing is we have some other players that are trending back.”
