Ducks Flying High After Beating Jets : Hockey: They beat Winnipeg, 5-2, to move into a fourth-place tie with the Kings.

Deadlocked.

Stupefying as it seems--incredible as it is--the Mighty Ducks are tied with the Kings.

At the start of the season, it figured the only time Southern California’s two NHL teams would be even in the standings was right then--before anybody had won a game.

But on the eve of the first regular-season meeting between the Stanley Cup finalists and the first-year expansion team, the Ducks moved into a fourth-place tie in the Pacific Division after a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in front of 17,003 Wednesday night at Anaheim Arena.

“It’s the last thing I ever thought--if you told me at the start of the season we’d be tied with the Kings the first time we played them, I would have said, ‘You’re nuts,’ ” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. It’s slightly more than a quarter of the way through the season, and the Ducks have caught the Kings--just in time for their game at the Forum tonight.

Each team has 20 points with nine victories and two ties, though the Ducks have two more losses.

It still somehow seemed ludicrous, but with a couple minutes left at Anaheim Arena, a few fans started that familiar chant: “Beat L.A.”

The Ducks’ game against the Jets was a much different affair than the Kings’ 8-6 loss to Winnipeg at the Forum on Tuesday, a wide-open game in which the Jets came back to win after trailing, 4-1.

But the Jets appeared tired Wednesday. And the Ducks took advantage, playing about as wide-open a game as they are likely to play this season, taking advantage of fresh legs to create breakaways and easy scoring chances.

Goaltender Ron Tugnutt made 34 saves for his fourth victory in his last five starts.

Joe Sacco got them started with his fourth goal of the season at 3:48 of the first period, using his speed to skate past Sergei Bautin out front, then hold him off and score.

Todd Ewen made it 2-0 at 3:23 of the second period, with a Jet defender trying in vain to sweep the puck out from behind goalie Stephane Beauregard. Ewen made his name in the NHL as an enforcer, but he has been more valuable to the Ducks and tied his career-high with the goal, his fifth of the season.

Anatoli Semenov added his team-leading ninth and Steven King scored his third of the season on a rebound. The Jets didn’t score until they trailed, 4-0, when Keith Tkachuk lifted a shot past Tugnutt for a power-play goal at 16:10 of the second.

Of their second game in as many nights--against the Kings nonetheless, Wilson said: “I don’t think we’re going to be tired. If we’re tired (tonight), shame on our players. . . . We’ll treat this for our purposes like a playoff game. This is special for us.”

Duck Notes

Defenseman Anatoli Fedotov joined the team on emergency recall from San Diego of the International League when David Williams came down with a virus after being up all night Tuesday because of the birth of his son, Christopher Ryan. Williams’ illness left the Ducks with only five available defensemen after Mark Ferner suffered a charley horse in practice Tuesday. . . . Myles O’Connor remains on personal leave. . . . Left wing Tim Sweeney was scratched because of illness.