Another Chance for Ducks’ Gavey

As a player who has fought to stay in the NHL, Aaron Gavey knows that he can’t take his roster spot for granted.

Gavey was called up by the Mighty Ducks from their minor-league affiliate in Portland, Maine, to take the place of rookie center Ryan Getzlaf, who will sit out at least a week because of a strained left shoulder.

Playing on the fourth line in Tuesday night’s game against the Kings, Gavey made his first appearance in the NHL since the 2002-03 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old center has played parts of eight seasons with Tampa Bay, Calgary, Dallas, Minnesota and the Maple Leafs.

“I know what’s expected when you’ve played a couple of games in this league,� said Gavey, who had a career-high 10 goals with Minnesota in 2000-01. “I hope I can step right in and be like one of the guys that’s been here all year. That’s all you want.

“Obviously, I’m happy to be here and I’m just looking to get involved.�

Duck Coach Randy Carlyle said experience wasn’t necessarily why Gavey was recalled. Gavey took part in most of the Ducks’ training camp in August and took advantage of his short stay in Portland by scoring three goals in six games.

“When we sent players to the minor-league affiliate in Portland, our message was we were going to bring back the best player,� Carlyle said. “We asked [Portland Coach] Kevin Dineen who it was and he said Aaron Gavey. That’s why he’s here.�

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Scott Niedermayer is one of those new to the King-Duck rivalry, but he figures it is just like any other that he saw while playing 13 seasons in New Jersey.

“It’s a bit different scenery,� the Ducks’ captain said. “As with any rivalry, the basics of it and the ingredients are the same when you go into it. I don’t think it’s going to be that much different.

“We play each other eight times. By the end of the season, I’ll have it all figured out.�

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As expected, King forward Jeff Cowan sat out his eighth consecutive game with an injury, though he went through a full practice Tuesday and could make his first appearance since Oct. 6 on Friday against San Jose.

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MIGHTY DUCKS TONIGHT

vs. Calgary, 7:30, FSN West 2

Site -- Arrowhead Pond.

Radio -- 1090.

Records -- Ducks 3-5-0-1, Flames 4-5-1-0.

Record vs. Flames (2003-04) -- 1-3-0-0.

Update -- The Ducks play on successive nights for the first time this season, though Carlyle said he didn’t have the Flames on his mind Tuesday. “When you get into your schedule and you play back-to-backs, your whole focus can’t be on anything but the first one,� he said. Calgary has been as bad as the Ducks have been in their special teams, ranking 28th on the power play and 27th in penalty killing.