Marha Sent Down for Conditioning

As expected, the Ducks sent center Josef Marha to Cincinnati of the American Hockey League on Friday to play his way into shape. Marha has been sidelined since Oct. 10 because of a sprained right ankle.

Pierre Gauthier, Duck president-general manager, said he hoped it would be a short stay in the minors.

“He’s a part of our starting lineup,” Gauthier said. “We like him. He brings a lot of offense to the lineup and he’s good on the power play.”

Asked how long he expected Marha to be in Cincinnati, Gauthier said, “It’s up to him to play well over there, but the sooner [he’s back in Anaheim], the better. He’s got to get back into game shape first. He’s three weeks behind everyone else.”

Marha had nine goals and nine assists in 23 games last season, splitting time between the Ducks and the Colorado Avalanche. The Ducks acquired Marha March 24 from the Avalanche for winger Warren Rychel.

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As promised, Coach Craig Hartsburg juggled his lineup a bit Friday against the San Jose Sharks, playing center Ted Drury instead of Matt Cullen. Hartsburg also played defenseman Fredrik Olausson instead of Pavel Trnka.

Olausson was a healthy scratch Wednesday for the first time this season, sitting out the Ducks’ 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Olausson assisted on Ruslan Salei’s second-period goal Friday.