DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -Anaheim Ducks center Todd Marchant is expected to play Friday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against Detroit after missing more than a month because of a torn groin.
“Todd Marchant has been cleared to play by the medical staff,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday. “We’ve pushed Todd Marchant as far as the conditioning aspect of it, because it’s not easy for any player to miss the amount of time he’s missed and not participate in the first two rounds of the playoffs, then expect him to come back in and to be at 110 percent.”
Marchant has had an injury-plagued season.
He missed 23 games because of an abdominal strain, which kept him out of the lineup during two stretches of the season. After returning the second time, Marchant played just three games in late March before tearing his groin.
“We’re realistic about where he’s at in his first game,” Carlyle said. “We think with the addition of him into our lineup, it gives us more strength.”
In the playoffs last season, Marchant led Anaheim with 10 assists and tied for the NHL lead with a plus-minus rating of plus-11.
Marchant scored eight goals, including a franchise-record three short-handed goals, and had 23 points in 56 games this season. He has 162 goals and 434 points in his career, which began with the New York Rangers during the 1993-94 season.
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