Ducks Dominate Avalanche, Gain Improbable Tie

The Mighty Ducks played without Guy Hebert, Paul Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne. And for good measure, Coach Pierre Page started rookie goaltender Tom Askey instead of veteran Mikhail Shtalenkov.

So what was the Colorado Avalanche’s excuse?

True, the Avalanche ended a six-game losing streak with a 2-2 tie Monday against the Ducks in front of an announced sellout of 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond.

But listless Colorado certainly didn’t pick up any style points. As for ending its slump, well, that’s certainly open to debate.

“The only people who could be proud tonight are the Mighty Ducks and the young kids who came up and played well for them,” Colorado Coach Marc Crawford said. “Our superstars have got to take responsibility, especially on the power play. We’ve gone over and over it. This game falls right on our power play.”

The Avalanche went scoreless on eight opportunities with the man advantage and rookie Frank Banham’s goal at 13 minutes 44 seconds of the third period enabled the Ducks to rally for a hard-earned tie.

The Ducks outshot Colorado, 31-25, but that was only one measure of their surprising domination.

How about frustrating goaltender Patrick Roy to the point that he took an unwise slashing penalty against energetic Duck forward Jeff Nielsen midway through the third period?

“That was a gutsy effort,” Page said. “We had some shifts where our hitting was the best we’ve seen in a while.”

It was difficult to imagine any of it at the opening faceoff, though. After all, the Duck lineup resembled its minor league affiliate in Cincinnati. Moreover, it was the first time in the franchise’s five-season history it played with Hebert, Kariya, Rucchin and Selanne sidelined.

But what’s a coach to do when Hebert and Kariya suffered season-ending injuries some time ago and Rucchin and Selanne also were hurting.

But playing Askey instead of Shtalenkov?

Better Page do it Monday against Colorado, which essentially locked up the No. 2 position in the Western Conference months ago.

Do it Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers, still battling for a playoff spot, and Page runs the risk of raising the ire of playoff hopeful Chicago.

You don’t suppose the Ducks would aid the Oilers at the expense of the Blackhawks? Nah.

It would probably be fitting, though, given that Blackhawk defenseman Gary Suter effectively ended the Ducks’ season when he injured Kariya with a crosscheck to the jaw Feb. 1.

Let the conspiracy buffs run with that one awhile. The Ducks were too busy Monday savoring a solid effort against Colorado.

The Avalanche led, 2-1, to start the third period. But it was difficult to figure out how or why. Colorado was outplayed in almost all facets of the game, which doesn’t bode well for the Avalanche’s hopes in the playoffs.

Instead of sparkling against the Ducks’ youthful lineup, centers Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic seemed to disappear for long stretches.

Neither excited the fans, who probably relished a Kariya-Selanne vs. Forsberg-Sakic matchup when they purchased their tickets months ago.

Instead, the crowd saw goals by Banham and Brent Severyn for the Ducks and Alexei Gusarov and Adam Foote for Colorado.

“[Valeri] Kamensky and [Sandis] Ozolinsh and Forsberg and Sakic looked like they didn’t even want to shoot the puck tonight,” Crawford said. “They’re great players. They’re absolutely great when they play with aggression. The coaching staff has to coach them better and they have to play better and that’s the bottom line.”

Gusarov gave Colorado a 1-0 lead at 4:06 of the first period. It should have been the only goal Colorado would need to subdue the injury-riddled Ducks. But it wasn’t.

Severyn countered for the Ducks with a blistering shot from just inside the blue line at 8:01 of the second period. Foote gave the Avalanche the lead again, 2-1, at 11:16 of the second.