Antoski Will Have Surgery on Groin

After visiting Dr. William Garrett of Duke University earlier this week, enforcer Shawn Antoski has decided to undergo groin surgery. The only question is when and who will perform the procedure.

“It’s kind of tough because this could have been diagnosed two months ago, but there’s no tests [to determine what’s wrong],” said Antoski, who suffered what is called a “sports hernia” in a Nov. 20 game against the New York Islanders and has played only once since.

The Ducks could use Antoski’s toughness down the stretch, but Garrett said typical recovery takes up to 12 weeks.

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Goalie Guy Hebert believes the Ducks shouldn’t settle for an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference as they try to qualify for the playoffs for the first time.

“It’s time to start setting our sights higher, maybe fifth or sixth. Or even third,” Hebert said. “Teams like Chicago and Toronto have been struggling and that’s something we should feed off.”

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The Ducks, who play Phoenix tonight, are 1-2-1 in the second game when they play on consecutive nights. . . . Not in the lineup: right wing Roman Oksiuta and defenseman Nikolai Tsulygin (coach’s decisions).