Ducks Showing Signs of Life

Back from the dead?

Well, that’s open to debate, but at least the Mighty Ducks have a healthy pulse again after stealing away with a 2-1 victory Sunday over the New York Islanders before an announced crowd of 13,047 at the Arrowhead Pond.

There was some question about the Ducks needing life support after a 0-6-2 drought.

But Sunday’s workmanlike victory, coupled with a 6-2 thumping Saturday of the Phoenix Coyotes, has put the Ducks back among the living in the Western Conference. The loss was the Islanders’ fifth consecutive.

“We’ve had a lot better commitment to play solid, straightforward hockey the last two games,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “Our goaltender made some key saves, but we cut down on quality chances [for the opposition] in the last two games. But it’s only two games.”

As in Saturday’s romp over the Coyotes, the Ducks won all sorts of significant battles for the puck against the Islanders, turning small victories into big ones.

The Ducks’ power play was sound and their penalty-killing unit superb. They limited the opposition to fewer than 25 shots for the third consecutive game, playing far more aggressive defense than during most of their eight-game winless streak.

And goaltender Guy Hebert made 20 saves in his second strong start in as many games.

Paul Kariya’s power-play goal gave the Ducks the lead 1:24 into the game. Teemu Selanne scored the go-ahead goal 5:06 into the second period after Mats Lindgren’s shorthanded goal at 2:56 of the first had pulled the Islanders even at 1-1.

The Ducks might have buried the Islanders by a wide margin if not for New York goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, who made several remarkable saves. Vanbiesbrouck dived headlong twice to rob Kariya on point-blank tries when the Duck captain stared at an almost-empty net--once early in the first period and again late in the second period.

Vanbiesbrouck also denied a streaking Mike Leclerc with a toe save about seven minutes into the third period to keep the Islanders within striking distance until the final moments. But New York failed to get a shot on net after Vanbiesbrouck was pulled in favor of a sixth skater in the dying seconds.

“I thought Vanbiesbrouck was a lot better than Sean Burke was [Saturday] night,” Hartsburg said when asked if he saw any significant differences between the two victories.

In fact, the difference Sunday was Vanbiesbrouck’s failure to cleanly glove a rising shot from Leclerc on a three-on-two break early in the second period. A hard-charging Selanne tapped the rebound into the net to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

“It was one of those things that falls right for the guy [Selanne] and is the difference in the game,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “It was an excellent play by them. It was a great first shot [by Leclerc]. I made the save, but Selanne was right there like always, I guess.”

Selanne’s goal was his second in as many games after he struggled during a four-game streak without a point. Kariya had a point Sunday in his second consecutive game after going three games without earning a point.

But, as in Saturday’s game, the key to the Ducks’ success was not flashy passing or wicked slap shots. Instead, their attention to the small parts of the game resulted in big plays.

On the few occasions when New York generated pressure in front of Hebert, the Ducks’ aggressive play along the boards suffocated the Islanders.

It also didn’t hurt to have defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski at the top of his game. Vishnevski delivered several glass-rattling checks, including a first-period hit on New York’s Mark Parrish behind Hebert’s net. By game’s end, Vishnevski had five hits to increase his league-leading total to 86.

Even rookie center Andy McDonald, generously listed at 5 feet 10, got into the act, taking a run at Islander defenseman Zdeno Chara, the tallest player in NHL history at 6-9, early in the game.

“It’s two games and we’ve taken a couple of steps forward,” Hartsburg said after the Ducks improved their record to 8-9-3-2 for 21 points in 22 games. “These games are over and now we’ve got to prepare for Wednesday,” when the Ducks host the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils.

“This team has always struggled with the process of building on a few good games,” Hartsburg added. “It’s two steps forward, but we’ve got to move forward again Wednesday.”

*

DIANE PUCIN

Making opponents feel uncomfortable when they come to the Pond is what the Ducks should strive for. D5