Ducks Get Burned in Phoenix : Hockey: Blackhawks administer team’s first back-to-back shutouts, 3-0, before partisan Chicago crowd.

What was this, Chicago Stadium West? Or HoHoKam Park?

The Mighty Ducks’ neutral-site game against the Chicago Blackhawks at America West Arena on Wednesday night was Cactus League hockey: There were legions of Cub fans in the stands pulling like mad for the Blackhawks.

Much of the crowd of 13,847 stood and did an Arizona version of the Chicago Stadium roar during the national anthem, then chanted, “Eddie! Eddie” as goalie Ed Belfour put the finishing touches on a 3-0 shutout of the Ducks.

It was the second time this season Belfour has shut out the Ducks, but the ugly fact for the Ducks is that for the first time in their 68-game existence they have been shut out twice in a row, first by the San Jose’s Arturs Irbe on Sunday in a loss that dealt a blow to their playoff hopes, and now by Belfour.

In the last two games, they have been outscored, 9-0--and they might have to face Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek tonight at Anaheim Arena.

Since the Ducks’ playoff push began with 20 games remaining, they have gone 1-3 and have fallen behind San Jose by six.

“What can you do?” Coach Ron Wilson said. “I mean, Eddie Belfour made some big saves when he needed to, and had some luck when we had opportunities when the net was a little open and we couldn’t score.

“I don’t have anything negative to say about our team. We tried hard, we skated well, we were physical, we just didn’t score. You won’t win any games if you don’t score.”

The power play was 0 for 6, compounding the horrid streak they brought in--three for their last 46.

The Ducks, a bunch so positive they wore “Skate for Eight” playoff shirts in their first training camp, said the loss was not as devastating as it would seem.

“After last game, which was probably our worst of the season, I thought we came out and played well,” said Joe Sacco, who had by far the most chances of any player on the team, with six shots. We were only down, 1-0, after the first and even after two periods we were still in the game.”

Joe Murphy gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 12:09 of the first, scoring with the Blackhawks holding a two-mad advantage after Tim Sweeney went off for tripping and then Garry Valk followed him for high-sticking.

Chicago didn’t score again until the third period, when Michel Goulet lifted a loose rebound over goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov and sprawling defenseman Mark Ferner at 3:28.

The final goal was an empty-netter by Murphy with 1:16 left. Defenseman Chris Chelios assisted on all three.

The Ducks had chances, but Belfour came up with 31 saves.

Sacco had another of the opportunities that have become his trademark--a shorthanded breakaway--but Keith Carney’s hook went uncalled and Belfour stopped a weakened shot.

Wilson tried shaking up the lines, putting newcomer Stephan Lebeau with Troy Loney and Sacco. It worked well, but it didn’t result in a goal.

“It’s frustrating right now,” Lebeau said. “You don’t want a chance, you want a goal.”

What the crowd wanted was what they got, a Chicago victory and a Belfour shutout.

“The Chicago of the West,” Blackhawk Coach Darryl Sutter said. “You could tell there were a lot of Chicago fans, and probably some Canadians that like our type of hockey, which is if someone’s in the way, run them over.”

Said Belfour: “I could hear the chants--it reminded me of home.”

Duck Notes

Canadian Olympic star Paul Kariya is giving up his college eligibility to turn professional--but that doesn’t mean he’s close to agreeing to contract terms with the Mighty Ducks. “He’s made the decision to leave school,” said Don Baizley, Kariya’s legal adviser. “(But) right now, it looks like we won’t have a deal in the short run.” He defined “short run” as the remainder of the season. Still, the decision means Kariya, a University of Maine sophomore, can now negotiate openly with the Ducks, instead of only listening to offers in order to protect his NCAA eligibility. The sides remain far apart. The Ducks have made an offer worth at least $850,000 a year, which is slotted between the contracts signed by last year’s No. 3 and No. 5 picks. Kariya, who was drafted fourth, is reportedly seeking as much as $1.5 million a year. “This doesn’t mean we’ll get a deal done any faster,” said club president Tony Tavares. “I would say it removes an impediment to making a deal. . . . It increases the possibility of coming to an agreement this year, but it’s impossible to predict how long negotiations are going to take . . . . Before, we were just sitting around throwing darts in the ocean, not knowing where the bull’s eye was. At least now we know where the board’s at.”