Travel Suits the Ducks Just Fine

Five games, seven days, three states, two provinces.

Three victories.

Third place in the Pacific Division.

One point out of the playoffs.

“Hard to believe,” Mighty Duck Coach Ron Wilson said, a little incredulous laugh slipping out. “I can’t believe it.”

A team that should have been exhausted Monday found a burst of energy, and the Ducks scored a club-record seven goals to dispatch the Winnipeg Jets, 7-5, before 14,033 at Winnipeg Arena.

They beat Toronto, Dallas and Winnipeg on the trip, losing only to Detroit and Chicago.

And suddenly the first-year team has won seven of its last 11 road games, 13 games overall and has passed San Jose for third place in the Pacific Division. They are one point behind Winnipeg for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

It’s only December, but so what, their coach says.

“As long as you’re in striking distance of the playoffs, why not believe in it--as hard as it is to believe,” Wilson said.

The Ducks fell behind, 3-1, in the first period, then scored four goals in a period for the first time in their 35-game existence during the second period.

“Must have been the plane,” Wilson said.

The team contracted the Denver Nuggets’ charter jet to fly to Winnipeg after being shut out at Chicago on Sunday night. For a stretch Monday night, they had a shooting percentage worthy of a basketball team. From the beginning of the second period until 6:29 of the third, they scored on six of 11 shots.

The defense-minded Ducks were playing run-and-gun hockey.

“Don’t say that too loud. That’s not supposed to be our style,” said right wing Terry Yake, who scored his team-leading 11th and 12th goals of the season. “Things started rolling, and the boys got that burst of energy.”

Yake had the prettiest goal of the lot, putting his team ahead, 6-3, a minute into the third when he deked Igor Ulanov on the move in the slot and then backhanded a sharply angled shot past goaltender Stephane Beauregard.

“Yake was unbelievable. That was phenomenal,” said right wing Todd Ewen, a career enforcer who scored his career-high sixth goal. “I thought he could only do that in practice.”

Beauregard had replaced Bob Essensa after the Jets’ starting goaltender gave up the first five goals. Duck goalie Guy Hebert, who faced 43 shots, gained his fourth consecutive victory.

Left wing Tim Sweeney, playing with Yake on a line centered by Jarrod Skalde, had three assists.

The Ducks completed a trip Wilson had called the toughest of the season with a 3-2 record, even though they recently lost high-scoring center Anatoli Semenov because of an elbow injury and lost first-line winger Garry Valk and defenseman Sean Hill because of injuries during the trip. Captain Troy Loney has been out since mid-November after knee surgery.

“Four very key people are out,” Wilson said.

“I’ve got to be honest. I came into this trip worried we would go 0 and 5.”

Duck Notes

Captain Troy Loney, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Nov. 17, said he expects to return Wednesday, pending final medical clearance. . . . Extra defenseman Myles O’Connor has taken a personal leave from the team for the second time this season. . . . Center Patrik Carnback suffered a slight groin strain and is day to day.