Selanne Intends to Play Tuesday

Right wing Teemu Selanne missed his fourth consecutive game because of strained muscles near his left rib cage, but said he intends to play Tuesday against Chicago at the Pond.

“Now, I don’t know who to take out of the lineup,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “Teemu’s going to have to earn his spot in the lineup.”

Wilson was joking, of course. Selanne leads the Ducks with 47 goals and 98 points.

Brian Bellows has filled in capably on the top line with left wing Paul Kariya and center Steve Rucchin. Bellows will probably drop back to the second line when Selanne returns.

The logical move for Wilson would be to scratch rookie Mike Leclerc on Tuesday. Leclerc did score the game-winning goal in Friday’s 4-3 victory over Chicago.

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Wilson faces another difficult decision Tuesday: Guy Hebert or Mikhail Shtalenkov in goal?

“We’ve had [Hebert] out of action for about a week now, so he should be fairly fresh,” Wilson said. “We’re bringing in [goaltending consultant] Francois Allaire this week to get him re-focused.”

Hebert, sidelined because of fatigue the past two games, hopes to play against Chicago. Shtalenkov won impressively against Detroit on Sunday and Chicago on Friday in his first starts since Feb. 4.

“He’s come in and played better than anyone could have expected, especially considering how long it’s been since he’s started,” Hebert said of Shtalenkov.

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Wilson gave rookie defenseman Dan Trebil the day off, scratching him in favor of Jason Marshall.

“The last couple of games, I noticed he’s seemed tired. He’s struggled a little bit and made some mistakes,” Wilson said of Trebil. “Marshall hadn’t played much lately, and at the end of the road trip I’d rather not risk having Trebil in there.”