Advertisement

Saku Koivu makes Ducks preseason debut

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Saku Koivu made his presence felt in his first shift as a member of the Ducks, creating several scoring chances during an early power play.

Koivu, who signed with the Ducks as a free agent in July after playing for the Montreal Canadiens the last 13 seasons, played center for Finnish compatriot Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry on the first power-play unit. He took a wrist shot that was saved by Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo and had another shot blocked by a Vancouver defenseman, but the power play moved well and gave the Canucks problems.

Advertisement

Koivu got a warm welcome from a sparse crowd that included at least one fan wearing a Canadiens jersey with his name on the back.

The Ducks didn’t score on that advantage -- or a 29-second two-man advantage they had shortly afterward.

They got another power play at 8:23, when Nathan McIver, a former Duck, was sent off for interference. This time, Koivu started the power play with Selanne and Kyle Calder on his wings, but the Ducks again couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity.

More later at www.latimes.com/sports.

-- Helene Elliott

Advertisement