Do You Believe in Miracles? Yake Doesn’t

The final seconds ticked off the scoreboard, the sellout crowd stood roaring and it seemed clear the night had been an unqualified success.

Mighty Ducks 3, New York Rangers 2: Biggest home victory in the Ducks’ short life span, right?

Not so fast, Duck forward Terry Yake said.

Yake played a crucial part in the Ducks’ victory, assisting on first-period goals by Bob Corkum and Tim Sweeney, but he wasn’t ready to blow Friday’s events out of proportion.

The way he figured it, there were good reasons not to get too carried away after the Ducks defeated the NHL’s points leader.

“It’s always nice to beat the so-called best team in the NHL,” Yake said. “But the bottom line is two points is two points.”

How could he say it was just another victory?

No. 1: The Ducks had already beaten the Rangers, 4-2, Oct. 19 at Madison Square Garden.

No. 2: Hooked up in an honest-to-goodness playoff battle with the Kings, the Ducks are more concerned with staying ahead of their conference rivals.

No. 3: If, and when, they beat San Jose, then it will be a big deal. The Sharks have tormented the Ducks by winning all five meetings this season.

This is not to say that Friday’s victory meant little. It was the Ducks’ 20th victory and put them two points ahead of the Kings and three ahead of San Jose in the fight for the eighth, and final, playoff berth in the Western Conference.

“It’s a big confidence builder,” Yake said. “We know the Rangers are a good team and we played them tough from start to finish.”

The Ducks almost let it slip away because Yake picked up a double-minor for a high-sticking penalty that resulted in a four-minute power play for the Rangers 11 minutes 44 seconds into the third period.

Yake and Ranger Alexei Kovalev got tangled up along the boards trailing a play. When the puck came around to the other side of the ice, Yake delivered a stick smash to Kovalev’s face.

“It was a penalty and I deserved it,” Yake said. “I knew I screwed up. It was stupid.”

It was far from the most heinous crime committed in an often brutal test of toughness. The Ducks were ready for anything the Rangers delivered, though. Yake’s involvement came as a surprise. Normally, he leaves the rough stuff to bruisers Todd Ewen and Stu Grimson.

“We’re the last team that’s going to back down” said Yake, 5-feet-11, 175 pounds. “If anything I think it distracted them from their game. It played right into our hands.”

It certainly might have been a different game if the Rangers’ relied on their superior skating and offensive firepower.

Later, Yake wondered why the Rangers embraced such a Duck-like style of play.

“They’re playing a real ugly style now,” Yake said. “That clutch and grab stuff makes it tough for everybody. But we battled them to the end.”

The Rangers managed only one shot on goal over their four-minute power play as Yake’s penalty didn’t prove costly.

The Ducks’ 3-2 lead stood up and now they play the Kings tonight at the Forum with a chance to increase their lead.

“Right from the start, we believed we could make the playoffs,” Yake said. “Now, we’re starting to make others believe.”