By Dan Wood
Ducks Radio Analyst

“They have a team that has been well-coached and put together, and they’ve very excited about their hockey club this year, so it’ll be a test for us,” Carlyle said of Jokerit. “It’s our last opportunity to get our team ready for the NHL season.”

HELSINKI – The Ducks aren’t sure exactly what to expect in their final preseason game, Tuesday’s contest against Finnish power Jokerit at Hartwall Areena.

There is, of course, the homecoming angle for national heroes Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Toni Lydman, though Lydman will not be on the ice because of his ongoing recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.

“It’s an opportunity for them to come home and for our hockey club to play in front of their fans, and to experience the Finnish culture,” Coach Randy Carlyle said after a Monday practice session on an adjacent rink. “We hear about it all the time because the three of them have lots to say about how great it is in Finland, so now we’re getting a chance to live it.”

Both the game against Jokerit and Friday’s NHL regular-season opener against the Buffalo Sabres are already sold out, speaking largely to the immense popularity of Koivu and Selanne, a former Jokerit star. Selanne’s 637 career NHL goals are tops among all Finnish-born players, while Koivu is the national team’s longtime captain.

“With those guys coming back, they’re obviously big names here in Finland, Teemu and Saku,” Ducks right wing Corey Perry said. “They’re getting a lot of attention right now, and deservedly so. They’re going to have fun with it, and we’re just going to have fun as well.”

Jokerit left wing Jarko Ruutu, who finished last season with the Ducks, visited with his former teammates before Monday’s practice. While Ruutu is nursing a slight leg injury that might keep him out of the game, Jokerit has begun its season with a 6-0-1 record to jump to the top of the Finnish elite league standings.

“They have a team that has been well-coached and put together, and they’ve very excited about their hockey club this year, so it’ll be a test for us,” Carlyle said. “It’s our last opportunity to get our team ready for the NHL season.”

“With those guys coming back, they’re obviously big names here in Finland, Teemu and Saku,” Ducks right wing Corey Perry said. “They’re getting a lot of attention right now, and deservedly so. They’re going to have fun with it, and we’re just going to have fun as well.”

The Ducks, who arrived in Helsinki early Sunday and will move on to Stockholm to face the New York Rangers on Saturday, still have some work to do.

“Practice today I don’t think was one of our better ones,” Carlyle said. “It was sloppy. It showed maybe the effects of jetlag took place today on the ice, versus yesterday. We were much crisper yesterday, coming off the airplane. Today was one of those practices that coaches wouldn’t write down and save.

“Obviously, with the amount of time we spent in the aircraft, it does catch up with you. We had a good skate. We worked pretty hard. We skated them at the end, so we try to blow that out and get ourselves ready for the game here (Tuesday).”

The fact that the Ducks know virtually nothing about Jokerit could be advantageous in one sense.

“It’s definitely odd,” right wing Parros said. “You don’t know what to expect. It’s a little scary in some ways, but in other ways, it allows you just to focus on your game and not worry about what the other team is going to do, which I think is pretty important, especially early on when you’re trying to iron out your own wrinkles.”

“It’s definitely odd,” right wing George Parros said. “You don’t know what to expect. It’s a little scary in some ways, but in other ways, it allows you just to focus on your game and not worry about what the other team is going to do, which I think is pretty important, especially early on when you’re trying to iron out your own wrinkles.”

The Ducks haven’t yet had an opportunity to skate on the main ice surface as workers have been applying the finishing touches to the logos and other markings, but one thing is certain.

“We know it’s going to be a good crowd in here,” Perry said, surveying the modern, NHL-style building that seats approximately 13,500. “We’re going to approach it the way we normally do any game. You know they’re going to come out and try to play their best game against us.

“We’ll go in and do the same things we’ve been working on – working on our system. It’s another stepping stone to our first game of the year.”

While Lydman will miss the games this weekend, left wing Matt Beleskey and defenseman Kurtis Foster could be ready to play, Carlyle said. Beleskey, who also underwent offseason shoulder surgery, has yet to make a preseason appearance. Foster is recovering from a procedure early in training camp to remove a wire in his surgically repaired left leg.