ANAHEIM — Jake Dotchin’s whirlwind NHL odyssey took him from Tampa, Fla., in September, to San Diego in October, and, finally, to Honda Center in Anaheim on Friday afternoon.

He played his first game in the league since the Ducks signed him Oct. 17, after the Tampa Bay Lightning cut him because they said he arrived to training camp overweight.

Dotchin’s debut was everything the Ducks expected. He played a physical game and was credited with a team-leading six hits in 15:54 of ice time. He fired one shot on goal, one that was blocked and another that missed the mark in 18 shifts. His passes were sharp and true.

Mostly, he was noticeable for all the right reasons.

After they took a 2-1 overtime victory from the Edmonton Oilers, the Ducks re-assigned Andy Welinski to their AHL team in San Diego, which meant Dotchin was likely to stick around for a while. The Ducks could use all the help they could get in their injury-depleted defense corps.

Dotchin joined the Ducks for their post-game flight to Nashville, where they begin a five-game trip against the Predators on Sunday. Cam Fowler couldn’t make the trip after undergoing surgery to mend fractures of his right orbital, cheek and upper jaw bones last week.

Hampus Lindholm was expected to travel with the team and to begin skating with his teammates at some point during their trip. He sat out Friday for the third consecutive game because of an unspecified lower-body injury and there was no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Dotchin and Josh Mahura were recalled earlier in the week as the Ducks went with four rookie defensemen in Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche and Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. On Friday, Coach Randy Carlyle played only three rookie defensemen.

Mahura, 20, made the most of his first two NHL games and remained in the lineup.

Dotchin, 24, got the call Friday and Welinski was sent to San Diego.

“I went down to San Diego for a bit and worked with (Gulls coach) Dallas Eakins,” Dotchin said of jump-starting his career after the Lightning axed him in September. “He was great with me, from early mornings with him to doing some video after (practice) with (assistant) Sylvain Lefebvre.

“They got me ready to be here, got me knowing the systems and how to play (the system the Gulls and Ducks use). There’s still room for improvement in my game and how I’m learning the system still. But I’m starting to get the hang of it better each day.”

ELITE COMPANY

Rickard Rakell scored his 100th goal with the Ducks, the game-winner in OT on Friday. He joined a select group of Ducks to have reached the milestone in their careers. Teemu Selanne tops the list with 457 goals, followed by Corey Perry (366), Paul Kariya (300), and Ryan Getzlaf (253).

Steve Rucchin (153), Bobby Ryan (147) and Andrew Cogliano (100) also have hit the mark.

WORKING VERY LATE

Nick Ritchie’s game-tying goal with 17 seconds remaining marked only the 14th time in Ducks history they scored a tying goal in the final 30 seconds of regulation, and the second time this month. Rakell scored with 26 seconds left in a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Nov. 1.

MOVING ON UP

Carlyle won his 464th game as an NHL coach, passing Bob Hartley and moving into 29th place on the league’s all-time list. Carlyle is 464-317-111 during his career with the Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs. He is 373-239-92 in 704 games over two stints with the Ducks. Related Articles NHL, players unveil series of anti-racism initiatives

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