Ducks Win and Keep Postseason in Sight

The Mighty Ducks’ backs were to the wall, and Arturs “Like Wall� Irbe was in the San Jose Sharks’ net. But the only wall left standing at the end of the game was the one Duck goalie Guy Hebert built in front of his net as the Ducks shut out San Jose, 3-0, Monday in front of 17,174 at The Pond of Anaheim.

The Ducks are two points behind the Sharks, who hold the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot with only eight games left.

If the Ducks had lost, they would have been six points behind the Sharks. To put that in perspective, if the Sharks had gone 4-4 the rest of the way, the Ducks would have had to go 7-1 to pass them.

“Everyone was really pumped up. It was a must-win game,� said rookie Paul Kariya. “No way were we going to make up six points in our other games, but win and we’re really right there.

“We knew it was a big game going in. We had a lot of jump and played one of our best games, and Guy stood on his head.�

Hebert made 27 saves for his second shutout of the season and the fifth of his career, but he was his typical self. The game was won by a team that kept buzzing offensively and stuck to the defense too, leading with hard forechecking from all four lines.

The Ducks scored twice in the second period and held on until Bob Corkum’s empty-net goal with 13 seconds left finalized it after Irbe was pulled for an extra attacker.

Duck Coach Ron Wilson was pleased but restrained.

“I said to the team, ‘If we were in a playoff series, we’ve lost the first two games. You don’t want to go down, 3-0. It wouldn’t be over, but it would be bleak being six points behind.’ �

Everything looked different after a victory--as it has almost daily for the bunch of teams trying to edge each other for the final playoff spot.

“The big thing is, we’re in that bunch,� forward Joe Sacco said. “It doesn’t matter who else is in it. We control our own destiny.�

The Ducks can only wish they could go head-to-head with San Jose and the Kings for the last spot. They are 6-0-1 against their California rivals this season. They have two games left against the Kings and one more against San Jose, a team they went 0-6 against last season but are 4-0 against this season.

The Ducks played with purpose from the outset Monday, creating opportunities with smooth passes and slinging shot after shot at Irbe. The defense was ready too, getting back quickly and playing a physical style to tie up the Shark attack.

Even the hapless power play looked potent. The Ducks didn’t score off it--nothing so dramatic as that--but they unloaded a half-dozen shots on their first opportunity.

They outshot San Jose early, 13-2, and, 18-9, in the first period. But it wasn’t until the second that they got two pucks past Irbe to break the scoreless tie.

The Ducks had threatened plenty. Irbe stopped Stephan Lebeau on a breakaway late in the first. Then early in the second, Irbe wandered out of the net to handle the puck, nearly spelling disaster when he banked it off the side of his own net, just barely out of the reach of Shaun Van Allen, who would have had an open net.

Mike Sillinger and Peter Douris broke the stalemate at 1:59, working a perfect two-on-one against Shawn Cronin. Sillinger made Cronin commit, then slid the puck over to a streaking Douris, who beat Irbe for a 1-0 lead.

Defenseman Bobby Dollas made the lead 2-0 a few minutes later when he cut behind the back of the net and beat Irbe with a wrap-around, then did a celebratory jig on skates.

“I was more surprised than anyone else. Give me 10 pucks in practice and I’d be lucky to have one of them go in,� Dollas said. “The reason I got so excited is because I never score like that.�

Meanwhile, Hebert was Hebert, doing what he has done for the Ducks most of the last two seasons. After a shaky start this season when the defense collapsed, his goals-against average was near 5.00. Now he’s close to shaving it to less than 3.00, and he has a save percentage over .900, putting him close to managing that rare double for the second season in a row, with an expansion team no less.

“We get that from him every night,� Sacco said. “Scoring that first goal seems to give us some life. And we know Guy is back there. That gives us a lot of confidence.�

From here the Ducks go on the road to play Toronto and Detroit.

“Tonight was the biggest game of the season,� Hebert said. “But two days from now the next game will be the biggest game.�

Duck Notes

Veteran defenseman Tom Kurvers, acquired in a trade last summer in an effort to boost the Ducks’ power play, was scratched on a coaches’ decision for the 12th time in 13 games. The power play is the worst in the NHL for a second consecutive season.