Ducks Throw a Third Party

The Mighty Ducks had a flashback to last spring’s Stanley Cup playoff run Friday night.

Winger Vaclav Prospal scored three goals for the first time of his career -- all of them in the third period, when the Ducks scored five unanswered goals -- and Anaheim established a franchise record by limiting Minnesota to 11 shots on goal in a 6-2 victory in front of an announced sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond.

“For the last couple of weeks, we’ve had a lot of chances but the puck just hasn’t been going in for us,” said Prospal, who also had an assist for a four-point night. “In the third, everything we touched actually went in the net.”

That’s an understatement. Thanks to Prospal’s hat trick, the Ducks set a team record for goals in the third period. Their six goals were a high for the season and their three power-play goals were also a season best.

Defenseman Niclas Havelid had four assists for the Ducks, who had 47 shots on goal.

“It’s only one game and I would love to say this is going to turn things around,” Prospal said. “But the truth is that we did what we needed to do. We just need to do it on a more consistent basis.”

The Ducks ended a seven-game home winless streak and have 43 points heading into tonight’s game against the Kings at Staples Center.

Because of injuries, Minnesota played without high-scoring forward Marian Gaborik (strained hip flexor) and defenseman Andrei Zyunzin (strained groin), but the Wild did not look short-handed against the Ducks for the first two periods.

Right wing Alexandre Daigle, who signed with the Wild as a free agent on Sept. 30, scored two goals and goaltender Dwayne Roloson, chosen to play in next month’s All-Star game, was playing a solid game as Minnesota took a 2-1 lead into the third.

That’s when the Ducks took over. Prospal scored to tie it, 2-2, and Joffrey Lupul followed with a goal to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead. Rob Niedermayer then added a score before Prospal put the puck in the net two more times.

Goaltender Martin Gerber picked up the victory but he did not have a busy night. With the Ducks holding Minnesota to only two shots on goal in the third period, they broke the previous franchise record of fewest shots allowed, 13, set against the New York Rangers on April 2, 1999.

Like the Ducks, Minnesota came in with a disappointing record. Sitting in fourth place in the Northwest Division with 48 points, the Wild woke up Friday 16 points behind first-place Colorado.

Also like the Ducks, Minnesota’s power play unit entered the game on a negative slide with only three goals in 56 man-advantage situations. But the Wild knocked in Friday’s first goal on a well-executed power play.

With the Ducks’ Sergei Fedorov in the penalty box for hooking, Minnesota worked the puck around the ice until Daigle launched a shot from the top of the right circle. Gerber missed the shot the first time but not the second; he kicked the puck into the net after it ricocheted off the right post at 10:18 to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.

In the second period, Havelid helped ignite an offensive burst by the Ducks, which led to their first goal. Havelid jumped into a rush that had Minnesota’s defense scrambling until Wild defenseman Willie Mitchell deliberately knocked the net out of place and picked up an interference penalty.

The Ducks then evened the score with their first power-play goal in nine games, when Petr Sykora put the finishing touches on a give-and-go play with Havelid at 13:04. For Sykora, the goal was his 15th of the season and second in two games.

The Ducks, however, couldn’t keep the game tied for long once Lupul picked up a high-sticking penalty at 15:15. Daigle again was the right man in the right place for the Wild when he chased down a loose puck in the high slot and fired a shot that Gerber didn’t see in time at 16:32.