Ryan Kesler was back in the fold Wednesday night, a welcome sight for a Ducks squad that has been battered by injuries all season.
When the familiar No. 17 jersey was being strewn around in the thick of a brouhaha behind Vegas Golden Knights goalie Malcolm Subban early in the game, the Ducks could finally breathe a sigh of relief: He’s back.
Agitating antics aside, Kesler wasn’t truly himself in the 4-1 defeat against the Golden Knights on Wednesday. The 33-year-old admitted as much.
He logged more than 16 minutes of ice time in his first game of the season, played on both special teams units and registered three shots, but he also produced a game-worst minus-3 rating.