Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf — busted-up face and all — will be in the lineup Friday night for Game 2 of the team’s Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Dallas Stars.
Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau confirmed Getzlaf’s status after morning skate Friday while also announcing that winger Matt Beleskey will sit out the game with a lower body injury.
Beleskey tallied a goal and an assist Wednesday in Anaheim’s 4-3 win in Game 1. He will be replaced in the lineup by 21-year-old Devante Smith-Pelly, who will make his Stanley Cup playoff debut.
Getzlaf, the NHL’s second-leading scorer during the regular season with 87 points, was hit in the face by a Tyler Seguin one-timer in the final seconds of Game 1 and required several stitches to close a deep gash on his chin.
“Luckily, he’s married, has a couple of kids,” Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy joked Thursday, via ESPN.com. “He’s not trying to impress anybody with his face.”
