Ducks Keep Mind on Own Business

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD

Dec. 5, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PHOENIX — You could imagine the Mighty Ducks stealing away from the desert late Saturday night, chuckling after ending the Phoenix Coyotes’ league-leading winning streak at eight games.

Heh-heh-heh.

Gotcha.

However, the Ducks were only thinking of themselves after a hard-earned 2-1 victory over the Coyotes before a crowd of 14,904 at America West Arena.

When you’ve soared and slumped as much as the Ducks have this season, it’s probably a good idea not to worry about another team’s play. Perhaps on another night the Ducks will take some smug satisfaction about sticking it to the Coyotes one more time.

“It’s not a big deal to us,” said Jim McKenzie, who scored the Ducks’ first goal by driving hard to the net and depositing a rebound behind rookie goalie Robert Esche midway through the first period.

“We’re getting better about worrying about ourselves. This was an important game for us. We played well [in a 1-1 tie against the Kings at the Arrowhead Pond]. We didn’t want to have a letdown.”

Letdowns have been standard operating procedure this season for the Ducks, who edged above .500 again at 13-12-3-1.

Instead of getting fat and happy with a solid showing Friday against the Kings, the Ducks merely picked up where they left off on Saturday against Phoenix.

Nothing seemed to sway them from a simple lunch-pail style of play. They drove to the net. They charged after loose pucks in the corners. They hit and got hit.

It was all in the name of team play.

“Everybody contributed in their own little way,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “Huge.”

The top line of Paul Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne didn’t show the flash they are capable of, but they followed the game plan as closely as the third line of McKenzie, Matt Cullen and Marty McInnis.

Taking a 1-0 lead on McKenzie’s first goal of the season certainly helped put the Ducks in a better position. Leading enabled the Ducks to control play rather than having to press for a tying goal.

Ted Donato’s fourth goal, which gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead 2:06 into the third period, was a case in point. The Ducks’ solid forechecking produced a critical turnover in the neutral zone, Tony Hrkac picking off Travis Green’s errant breakout pass.

Hrkac turned the interception into a goal for Donato, drawing the defense to him and slipping a cross-ice pass to his teammate for an easy shot into an open net.

Trevor Letowski’s short-handed goal at 14:50 ended Guy Hebert’s shutout bid and injected a bit of life into the Coyotes. The momentum didn’t translate into many chances at the tying goal, however.

“I think we were in a better frame of mind in the last five minutes than we would have been a week ago,” Hebert said. “We always seem to play well against L.A. and Phoenix. Friday’s game got us back into the flow. We really had a good feeling coming here.”

Of ending the Coyotes’ winning streak, Hebert said, “It’s a feather in the cap. But right now we care less about what other teams are doing and more about what we’re doing. We’re only concerned with our play.”

About the only fault with the Ducks’ game Saturday was their ongoing battles with their dysfunctional power play. Another bagel on six chances put the Ducks’ streak without a power-play goal at 25.

The Ducks’ last power-play goal was by defenseman Fredrik Olausson in a 4-2 victory Nov. 19 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Worst of all, as far as Hartsburg was concerned, was giving up the short-handed goal to Letowski. An errant pass by the Ducks set it up.

“Why throw the puck out in the middle of the ice for no reason? Why do that?” Hartsburg said. “We can’t be lazy and throw pucks away on the power play.”

Certainly not when the power play hasn’t recorded a goal in seven consecutive games.

* NICE CHANGE

Instead of Bob Essensa, the NHL’s hottest goalie, the Ducks faced a rookie. Page 10

* GOAL-ORIENTED

Michael Nylander scored four goals to lead Chicago to a 9-3 win over Boston. Page 10