Ducks Let One Go to Waste Against Sharks

The Mighty Ducks tried gamely to put a positive spin on a 4-4 tie Friday against the San Jose Sharks at the Arrowhead Pond. And if you didn’t look too closely, you might believe it wasn’t all that bad.

Yes, it might have been the Ducks’ best intense performance in several weeks, as Coach Craig Hartsburg pointed out after the Ducks extended their modest unbeaten streak to 2-0-1.

Yes, they had their skates on the Sharks’ throats for all but a few moments in the third period.

Yes, it could give the Ducks confidence for the season’s final 22 games, including Monday’s contest against the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues at the Pond.

Yes, the Ducks might have won easily if not for a couple of unfortunate bounces the Sharks couldn’t re-create under laboratory conditions.

Fact is, the ninth-place Ducks let a victory slip from their grasp in the game’s final minutes and today they are four points behind the eighth-place Edmonton Oilers.

The Ducks failed to follow the bouncing puck in the third period, gave up three goals, including two that had to be seen to be believed. Unlike Wednesday, when Oleg Tverdovsky produced the game-winner with a dazzling move to defeat the Calgary Flames, 6-5, there would be no overtime heroics.

“There were a lot of positives tonight, but everything is about the bottom line,” winger Ted Donato said. “Everything is about points. We have to be able to close. . . . In our building, with six minutes to go, we have to find a way to get over the hump.”

After squandering a 3-1 lead to start the third period, the Ducks regained the lead on defenseman Ruslan Salei’s first goal in 26 games. There was 7:44 left and the Ducks looked as if they would survive another rough outing by goalie Guy Hebert.

In the dying minutes of the third period, however, Salei’s clearing pass was intercepted by a leaping Vincent Damphousse along the left-wing boards.

Damphousse fired the puck at Hebert, who made the save easily. But the puck fluttered into the air. San Jose’s Tony Granato swatted at it, but missed.

Suddenly, the puck was lying in the crease, then it wasn’t. Niklas Sundstrom tapped it by Hebert for a 4-4 tie with 2:22 left.

Damphousse’s first goal in 24 games got San Jose even, 3-3, 5:16 into the third. Stationed below the goal line to Hebert’s right, Damphousse sent a centering pass toward Granato, who was fighting for position in front of the net with Duck winger Ladislav Kohn.

The puck struck Hebert and trickled into the net.

Scott Hannan got the Sharks’ rally started, scoring his first NHL goal 2:28 into the third period. Hannan caught Hebert leaning the wrong way and beat him with a quick shot from the slot.

“They definitely were opportunistic,” Donato said of the Sharks. “They got a few bounces that went their way, but when that happens, you have to dig a little deeper.”

Matt Cullen, Teemu Selanne (power play) and Tverdovsky scored second-period goals as the Ducks threatened to turn the game into a rout. Selanne’s goal extended his point streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the NHL. It also was the 10th consecutive game in which the Ducks had scored on their power play, one shy of the club record set in 1996-97.

Owen Nolan had San Jose’s only goal going into the pivotal third period. The Sharks had two shots on net in a scoreless first period and had only five when Duck defenseman Jason Marshall was whistled for interference at 13:29 of the second period.

Then defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski took a cross-checking penalty. Nolan didn’t score on the two-man advantage, but Marshall was too late exiting the penalty box to prevent the goal.

“There were some bad bounces,” Hartsburg said. “We have to find a way to get better instead of worrying about mistakes.”

Salei’s clearing pass on the tying goal could have been better. Hebert didn’t play it very well on Damphousse’s goal. The Ducks also got caught on the wrong side of the puck on Hannan’s goal.

“I know the guys are pretty upset,” Hartsburg said. “They know every point is precious. I feel if we keep playing this way. . . . This was our best game in, I don’t know, maybe two or three weeks.”