Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne will be watching Game 4 of his team’s Western Conference quarterfinal series from the press box.
Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau informed Selanne on Tuesday that he will be a healthy scratch for Wednesday night’s meeting with the Dallas Stars — something the 23-year NHL veteran hardly is accustomed to.
In fact, Selanne told reporters Wednesday that he can recall being a healthy scratch for a Stanley Cup playoff game just once before: in 2004, the one season he spent with the Colorado Avalanche. And this is coming from a guy who has played in 121 career playoff games, including the Ducks’ first three of this postseason.
Selanne’s age has shown in those three games, though, as the 43-year-old is averaging just 11:16 of ice time and contributing one point (an assist in a 4-3 Game 1 win).
“Bruce told me before practice (Tuesday),” Selanne said. “We lost last game, so a lot of the times the lineup is going to be different. … I’m obviously disappointed right now, but it’s Bruce’s decision and we’ll go from there.”
Replacing Selanne in the lineup will be 21-year-old Emerson Etem, who tallied seven goals and four assists in 29 games for the Ducks during the regular season. Etem excelled in playoffs as a rookie last season, recording five points (three goals, two assists) in seven games in a first-round loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Anaheim leads Dallas in the best-of-seven series 2-1 after being shut out 3-0 in Game 3 on Monday.
