Another Blow for Stevenson

The Ducks sent left wing Jeremy Stevenson to Cincinnati of the American Hockey League. Stevenson suffered a concussion Sept. 27 when he was punched in the face by Roman Vopat of the Kings and has not played in a regular-season game.

Stevenson’s departure left the Ducks with only 11 healthy forwards for Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Center Steve Rucchin missed his fourth consecutive game because of a groin strain, and his return remains uncertain.

“I’m definitely encouraged,” said Rucchin, who participated in the team’s morning workout. “I was desperate to play earlier. Now that I’m starting to improve, I think maybe the time off will be OK. I’m going to need some time to get my wind back.”

Captain Teemu Selanne believes Rucchin’s absence is a big reason the Ducks scored only six goals in four games going into Wednesday.

“Look at last year, he was our third-leading scorer,” Selanne said of Rucchin, who had 19 goals and 67 points. “Everyone’s asking about Paul [Kariya, an unsigned free agent], but for sure we miss Steve too. He’s our No. 1 center, and he’s frustrated he can’t help us.”

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Defenseman J.J. Daigneault returned to the lineup after missing Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins to be with his wife, Janie, who gave birth to an eight-pound, five-ounce girl named Valerie.

“She started labor right as warmups began,” Daigneault said. “There are 82 games in a season and maybe 1,000 in a career, but your wife doesn’t give birth every day. [Coach] Pierre [Page] was very understanding.”

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Defenseman Bobby Dollas was scratched because of a bruised right big toe.