Pahlsson set to play against Rangers

NEW YORK – Ducks center Samuel Pahlsson is set to return to the lineup for Friday’s game at New Jersey against the Devils after being out since Dec. 22 because of persistent abdominal pain.

Following a long workout this morning that included extra time after the morning skate, Pahlsson said the plan was for him to be ready for Friday after sitting out tonight’s game against the Rangers, barring a last-minute change by Coach Randy Carlyle.

Pahlsson will have missed 20 games as the team had trouble finding the source of the inflammation that caused pain in his abdomen.

“Unless something happens, that’s the plan,” Pahlsson said of playing Friday. “I’m feeling really good.”

Pahlsson said that the sessions he had with a specialist in Vancouver last week paid off in allowing him to regain a full range of movement without any pain.

“I feel I’m moving better and I finally got that sharp pain that was in my abdomen gone,” he said. “So that’s good. It should be fine.”

Pahlsson’s absence has created a void as the Ducks have turned to rookie Ryan Carter and veteran Todd Marchant to fill the shoes of their best defensive forward and face-off specialist.

The checking line of Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer has already missed 32 games after playing in all 82 regular-season games and 21 playoff games last season. Moen will miss his second consecutive game because of flu-like symptoms.

“You look at him as a possible Selke Trophy candidate type [as the league’s top defensive forward] as far as the type of player he is,” Carlyle said of Pahlsson. “He proved his value to our hockey club last year and well into the playoffs. That line and that grouping outscored every top line that we played against in the playoffs.

“Those guys have the ability to raise their level in big games and you always miss those type of players.”

Pahlsson said he didn’t imagine that the inflammation would keep him out of the lineup for several weeks.

“In the beginning I thought it was going to be maybe five [games],” he said. “I didn’t get better. It went longer than I thought.

“It was a while there where I felt like nothing was happening. It was frustrating. You don’t know how long you were going to be like that.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com