Selanne, McDonald Fill Voids; Ducks Win

No Sergei Fedorov or no Sandis Ozolinsh might have once meant no offense for the Mighty Ducks. These days it means no problem, not with the way Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald are playing.

The Ducks again got major contributions from seemingly resurrected Selanne and youthful McDonald as they won their third consecutive game, a 3-2 victory Sunday night over the Phoenix Coyotes at the Arrowhead Pond.

Selanne got his fourth goal in the last three wins and set up both of McDonald’s tallies, including the winner on a power play at 3:01 of the third period. McDonald has five goals in his last five games.

The scoring outbursts from both have been critical while four forwards offensive stalwarts Fedorov and Ozolinsh and rookies Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry -- sit on injured reserve. The Ducks also didn’t have left wing Travis Moen, who has a strained knee.

“Everybody has to be a leader in their own way,” Selanne said. “You can’t be something that you’re not. Of course when you have big guys out like Sergei and Ozo and those two great rookies, you’ve got to make sure other guys step up, including myself.”

The comforts of home have seemed to energize the Ducks, who have won five of six at the Pond and have a chance to win all four games on the homestand Tuesday against Nashville.

“You have to have success” at home, Duck Coach Randy Carlyle said. “It’s imperative. The good teams in the league do that, and that’s what we’re trying to get to.”

McDonald, a fifth-year center, showed why he could be in for a career season in the new NHL, in which skill players are enjoying a renaissance. Playing on a line with Selanne and left wing Todd Fedoruk, he used his speed to get back in position for a goal on a rebound off a shot by Selanne.

The winner came on a perfect pass from Selanne as McDonald passed to the right wing and worked his way into the slot to get a return feed and one-time it past Coyote goalie David LeNeveu.

“Teemu is obviously a great player,” McDonald said. “He just controls the puck so well in the offensive zone. Todd and I want to get him the puck as much as possible.”

The Ducks would get their second win over Phoenix in the last eight days by killing two late penalties in the third, including a high-sticking call on Selanne at 17:42. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 34 saves in goal.

“I think we’re getting more and more confident on our penalty killing,” Giguere said. “When we got that two minutes, nobody put their head down. We all went to work and went after them instead of backing up.”

It also wouldn’t be a victory without another goal from Selanne. The 35-year-old speedster tied the game at one in the second with a blistering 30-foot slap shot outside the right circle off a drop pass from Fedoruk, who managed to also screen LeNeveu.

Selanne has scored seven goals in his last seven games and has a team-leading nine in his first 12 games, matching a scoring run he had to start the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season with the Winnipeg Jets.

“When you’re hot, you’re hot,” he joked.

Fedoruk, acquired July 29 from Philadelphia for a second-round pick, is playing more of an offensive role with the Ducks than in his first four seasons with the Flyers. The assist gave him one in each of his last five games and six this season to establish a new career best.

“He was probably between a third- and a fourth-line player there and we were going to give him an opportunity,” Carlyle said. “Right from the first day in training camp, we played him with our best player in Sergei Fedorov. He’s earned that opportunity.”

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Perry said he felt much better Sunday after being knocked out of the game Friday night because of a concussion suffered on a rough check by St. Louis’ Dallas Drake.

“It’s tough because you can’t do anything right now,” Perry said. “With concussions, you can’t do anything. You have to sit back and wait. That’s all I can do.”

Perry said he has no recollection of what General Manager Brian Burke called a “linebacker-style” hit, which earned Drake a two-game suspension. “I haven’t seen it yet,” said the rookie, who has one goal and four assists in 11 games.