Ducks Live for One More Day : Hockey: Penalty-killing defense and goalkeeper Hebert help Anaheim defeat Toronto, 3-1. Team clings to slim hope it can make the playoffs.

The Mighty Ducks know that this is the time when teams wilt. Look at the Kings.

Crunch time has come and gone for the also-rans. For the Ducks and every other team whose playoff hopes are slim to none, this is a tough time.

There are only five games between them and the off-season, but the Ducks haven’t folded, proving it with a 3-1 victory over Toronto before 17,174 at The Pond of Anaheim on Saturday.

“I’ve known teams that really went into the tank when they faced elimination,” said goalie Guy Hebert, who won his 19th game of the season and had a shutout in the third period. “It’s somewhat frustrating that no matter how well we play, we can’t do enough to pass San Jose without their help. But in retrospect, it’s really positive.”

Even if the Ducks win their remaining games, the Sharks need only one point in their last five to clinch the final Western Conference playoff spot.

The Ducks have won four of their last five games, but they’re about to run out of time.

The Maple Leafs have the league’s fifth-best record, but finished 1-2-1 against the Ducks. Toronto, which is limping toward the playoffs, held a closed-door meeting after the game.

“They weren’t kissing each other in there,” Toronto Coach Pat Burns said. “We’re just trying to keep things positive. We’re not the favorites any more. We’re all by ourselves. We have to stick together and play as a team. That’s how we got this far.”

That and a hard-working style have gotten the Ducks farther than they had hoped.

“You’ve got to play well every night,” said Joe Sacco, who scored a goal for the third consecutive game. “Plus, it’s pride. We’ve got a lot of pride in this room. We’d like to finish ahead of certain teams. I don’t know what the expansion record was, 31?”

It was--until the Florida Panthers broke it by winning their 32nd game. But the victory over Toronto was the Ducks’ 31st, tying them for second with the 1967-68 Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.

Hebert made 27 saves against the Maple Leafs, but the victory probably belonged to the penalty-killers, who shut out Toronto on eight power-play attempts and killed a five-minute high-sticking penalty against Patrik Carnback in the second period.

The Ducks took a 1-0 lead into the third on Sacco’s first-period goal, his 18th. Then John Lilley, who played for the U.S. Olympic team at Lillehammer, celebrated his first NHL goal after circling behind the net and putting in a back-hander off a pass from David Williams at 4:37 of the third.

Stephan Lebeau scored his third goal in three games at 6:58 for a 3-0 lead. But Bob Rouse spoiled Hebert’s bid to shut out the Maple Leafs for the second time this season at 7:30 when he followed his own shot and knocked in a rebound behind Hebert’s back.

Duck Notes

Guy Hebert will have an opportunity to be the goalie for the U.S. team at the World Championships beginning in Italy later this month if he wants to. “Guy will definitely be our goaltender,” said Lou Nanne, general manager of the U.S. team. Coach Ron Wilson is expected to become coach as soon as the Ducks are eliminated. Joe Sacco and Tim Sweeney are also being considered for the team.

Times staff writer Helene Elliott contributed to this story.