Injuries Continue to Pile Up

TAMPA, Fla. —  Tuesday was not a day for the Mighty Ducks to revel in ending their 13-game road winless streak. It was a day of triage.

Forward Rob Niedermayer: In, after testing his injured groin during Tuesday’s practice.

Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere: Probable-to-questionable, after sitting out practice Tuesday.

Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh: Out, for a long time, after deciding to undergo shoulder surgery.

The Ducks’ 2-0 victory Monday over Tampa Bay seemed well in the rearview mirror.

Ozolinsh suffered a torn chest muscle against Colorado on Dec. 19. He will have surgery Friday and will be out 10-12 weeks, although he has been talking about coming back earlier. His absence robs the Ducks of their best offensive defenseman and a skilled puck handler, vital considering the number of turnovers the Ducks have given opponents.

Giguere, meanwhile, will test a tender groin today before deciding if he can play tonight against Carolina. He was injured during the first period against Tampa Bay. Giguere is expected to play, according to Coach Mike Babcock, but groin injuries are tricky. His loss would be tough to take, especially since his play has improved dramatically. Giguere has a 1.68 goals-against average in his last four starts, two of which were shutouts. He has stopped 128 of 133 shots in that time.

That leaves Niedermayer as the only good news. He has missed 12 games because of a groin injury, but is expected to play tonight.

Niedermayer’s return will help the Ducks. He has six goals and his physical play has been missed during the 12 games he was out, eight of them Duck losses.

“It’s one of the toughest things a player can go through, when he’s hurt and not able to do anything,” Niedermayer said. “All I could do was just watch. You want to get out there and try to help the team. I wanted to get back in the lineup as soon as I could. It’s nice to finally be able to say I’ll be in there.”

That eagerness led to a setback a week after he was injured in a Nov. 29 game against Minnesota. That led Niedermayer and the Ducks to take a cautious approach to his recovery. He had a long workout before Monday’s 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay and a full practice Tuesday.

“When a player leaves your lineup and then your team doesn’t do well, you love the guy who left so much,” Babcock said. “The important thing when he comes back is, he has to be himself. Let’s not get too carried away here, you do this as a team. He’s an important part of the team, but it’s one forward.”

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TODAY

at Carolina, 4:30 p.m. PST

Site -- Raleigh (N.C.) Entertainment and Sports Arena.

Radio -- XPRS (1090).

Records -- Ducks 12-15-4-5, Hurricanes 12-14-8-2.

Record vs. Hurricanes (2002-03) -- 2-0.

Update -- The Ducks killed five penalties against Tampa Bay. They have given up only four goals in 47 power plays during their last 11 games.