For Ducks, No Place Like Road : Hockey: They become first team to win 12 games away from home with 5-3 victory over Blues.

The St. Louis Arena crowd raised a welcoming cheer for its old friend Guy Hebert on Saturday, then booed the home team as the Blues became the Mighty Ducks’ latest road kill.

By beating St. Louis, 5-3, in front of a standing-room only crowd of 18,143, the Ducks became the first NHL team to win 12 games on the road this season.

The Ducks have the most victories, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have more road points with 25 and a 10-7-5 record.

Hebert made 40 saves and defenseman Bill Houlder and right wing Peter Douris each scored two goals as the Ducks finished their trip with a 4-2 record and a three-game winning streak.

The only thing standing between the Ducks and a phenomenal record is a 4-12-2 mark at Anaheim Arena. After playing 20 of their last 28 on the road, the Ducks are going home after a 4-2 trip to play 13 of their next 17 at home.

“Do we have to?” Coach Ron Wilson said.

Hebert was the seldom-used backup to St. Louis goalie Curtis Joseph last season, and he was psyched to play his old teammates.

Wilson has a policy of starting players against the teams that let them go, and it works.

“Especially with the goaltenders,” Wilson said. “They get really excited, and maybe the other team tries to hard to pick corners to beat the guy.”

Hebert already made good in his first chance against the Blues with a 2-1 overtime victory Dec. 12 at Anaheim Arena.

“It was more exciting here, because this is where I called home for a couple of years,” Hebert said. “Especially playing in front of the hometown fans--the former hometown fans, I should say--and playing against my former roommate and buddy.”

For the second time, Hebert made his old buddy a loser, and this time Joseph was replaced by this year’s backup, Jim Hrivnak, with the Blues trailing, 4-1, after two periods.

Hebert faced six power plays by a St. Louis unit led by Brett Hull. Hull had two power-play goals, his 27th and 28th goals of the season, but they didn’t come until the third period, and he needed 10 shots to score them.

“Every time I looked up, he had the puck again,” Hebert said.

Duck Notes

Center Anatoli Semenov might resume playing as soon as Jan. 24, Coach Ron Wilson said. Semenov was the Ducks’ leading scorer with nine goals and 15 assists when he dislocated his left elbow in a collision with teammate Stu Grimson and Florida’s Dave Lowry on Dec. 7. He was expected to be out eight weeks. . . . . Forward Steven King returned home Friday because of a sore back that kept him out of the past three games. . . . Defenseman Sean Hill was scratched because of a sprained left shoulder that will be examined in Anaheim to determine if there is a separation.