Ducks Take Wing on Late Goals : Hockey: They score three times in the third period to beat the Oilers, 6-3, for Tugnutt. Yake scores 100th career point.

Beating the Edmonton Oilers is no longer a big deal for Mighty Duck goaltender Ron Tugnutt, which is pretty much the way the rest of the NHL feels about the Pacific Division’s last-place team.

Simply winning, by 6-3 Sunday at Northlands Coliseum, meant more to Tugnutt, who hadn’t won since Jan. 6.

Tugnutt had already beaten the Oilers, his old team, twice this season, but victory No. 3 looked shaky for a long stretch Sunday.

The Ducks trailed, 2-0, after 10:11 and skated lethargic shift after uninspired shift for most of the first 30 minutes. Tugnutt was not immune to the flat play, giving up goals by Ilya Byakin and Doug Weight only 20 seconds apart in the first period.

“It’s a big difference to play an afternoon game,” Tugnutt said. “It throws off all your rituals. You can’t have spaghetti and chicken at 9 in the morning.”

When the Ducks finally snapped out of their afternoon nap, they were swift and efficient in converting their scoring chances. They scored five consecutive goals, including two each by Joe Sacco and Terry Yake, to help make Tugnutt a winner.

“The first one was important (the first victory in Duck history), but the second and third were just wins,” Tugnutt said of his Edmonton victories. “We kept our composure and they didn’t. We got that power-play goal and that turned the game around.”

Sacco’s power-play goal, with the Ducks on a five-on-three advantage, pulled them even, 2-2, at 17:23 of the second period. From there, they dominated the Oilers.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Oilers left the next three Duck goal-scorers all alone in front of the net. But that also might explain why the once-proud Oilers are 15-36-8 and 10 points behind the expansion Ducks, who are tied with the Kings for fourth place.

Still, the Ducks’ three-goal flurry in the third period was about as impressive an offensive performance as the defensive-minded team has had all season.

First, Yake beat goalie Bill Ranford with a slap shot from the slot 2:44 into the third period.

Next, Sacco scored in front of the crease after an uncontested pass from behind the net by Shaun Van Allen, another former Oiler, at 5:45.

And 14 seconds later, Yake, alone at the left side of the net, swatted a pass from Tim Sweeney past Ranford for his 100th career point and a 5-2 Duck lead.

Coach Ron Wilson said he didn’t single anyone out in speeches between periods, but after the second he asked for more from the Yake-Sweeney-Bob Corkum line.

“I told our guys to relax and that the scoring chances would happen,” Wilson said.

He was particularly pleased to see Tugnutt settle down after the first period. Tugnutt was not sharp in his last start, a 4-2 loss to Calgary on Feb. 2, and Wilson was glad to see his confidence return.

“It’s important,” Wilson said. “(Guy) Hebert has been great the last three or four starts, and Tugnutt has struggled. You need two strong goaltenders. That’s what we’ve had all year.”

Duck Notes

Defenseman Bill Houlder, scratched for three consecutive games, assisted on Joe Sacco’s first goal of the game. “Bill had gotten himself into a rut,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “He was making two or three errors a game, critical errors.” . . . The Ducks evened their road record at 13-13-2. They are undefeated in their last eight games outside the United States.