Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf will miss Game 4 against Dallas Stars

DALLAS -- Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf was scratched from the Game 4 lineup Wednesday with an
upper-body injury, the team announced minutes before the 5 p.m. game.

Getzlaf, with 31 goals and 56 assists during the season, has two goals and two assists
in the first-round Western Conference playoff series that Anaheim leads 2-1.

The injury was sustained during Game 3, a hockey official close to the situation but
unauthorized to speak about it publicly told The Times.

[UPDATED, 5:35 p.m. PDT, April 23: Getzlaf boarded a flight back to Southern California at 4 p.m. Central time to get immediate treatment, with the hope of playing in Game 5 Friday, the Ducks said.]

Getzlaf was limited to one shot in more than 21 minutes of ice time in Monday’s 3-0 Game 3 loss to the Dallas Stars and didn’t practice with the team either Tuesday or
before Wednesday’s game in the morning.

But that type of rest was seen as routine this time of year, especially for Getzlaf, who
suffered a nasty laceration under his mouth when struck by a puck under the
mouth in Game 1.

Early Friday morning, Getzlaf’s wife, Paige, gave birth to the couple’s third child, daughter
Willa.

Then, in Game 3, Getzlaf fought with Stars forward Antoine Roussel and was punched
toward the head area.

Roussel said he thinks he was punched at by Getzlaf first before delivering the left hand
toward the facial guard.

“I try to protect my goalie and not let in any goal, because he’s a dangerous player and
he’s around the net,” Roussel said Wednesday morning. “Just like everybody,
they don’t like to get hit. I understand that, so it’s the same for us.”

It’s not known precisely when Getzlaf was hurt, or what he injured.

Ducks rookie center Rickard Rakell is expected to start on the first line alongside star
Corey Perry and recent minor league call-up Emerson Etem of Long Beach.

[UPDATED, 5:18 PDT, April 23: Perry actually started the game playing alongside Mathieu Perreault and Patrick Maroon.]

Earlier Wednesday, Ducks forward Teemu Selanne told reporters he’d be a healthy scratch
tonight.