They’re Almost All Lame Ducks : Hockey: Anaheim’s 5-2 loss to the Red Wings is the least of worries for injury-riddled team. York, Douris are latest casualties.

One by one, the Mighty Ducks’ walking wounded tested their injuries at the morning skate Friday, and one by one, they realized they couldn’t play.

The latest twist is to the ankle of defenseman Jason York, who stepped onto the ice still sore from Wednesday’s game and realized he’d be added to the crowd of players who ended up watching Friday night’s 5-2 loss to the Red Wings from the Joe Louis Arena press box.

Before the first period was over, the list of injured rose to nine when right wing Peter Douris pulled a groin muscle on his second shift after going down to his knees and slipping into a near-split.

“We couldn’t believe it,” left wing Garry Valk said with a helpless laugh after the game.

Douris couldn’t either. “My whole career, I’ve almost never been hurt,” he said. “I just can’t believe this.”

Nine of the Ducks’ top 19 skaters are injured, goalie Guy Hebert has a tender ankle, and General Manager Jack Ferreira probably will summon yet another player from minor-league affiliate Baltimore by today--perhaps Mike Maneluk or J.F. Jomphe, either of whom would be making his NHL debut.

“It’s kind of a strange period we’re going through, with so many key guys out,” said defenseman Randy Ladouceur, a 13-year veteran who couldn’t think of another time he’s seen so many injuries. “It hurts, especially in a new organization like ours. We’re not as deep as others. We’ve just got to persevere, keep playing hard.”

The Ducks did that Friday against the Red Wings, who won for the 10th time in their last 11 games. A little more than halfway through the second period, the score was tied, 2-2, after goals by the Ducks’ Viacheslav Butsayev and Chad Kilger and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom and Greg Johnson.

But with most of the Ducks’ best penalty-killers either in the press box or in Anaheim, Detroit’s power play thrived, scoring on three of four opportunities. By the end of the second period, two power-play goals gave the Red Wings a 4-2 lead.

Detroit’s Steve Yzerman scored twice--once on the power play--and needs only seven more goals to become the 22nd NHL player to reach 500 in his career. He’ll follow Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux, who reached the milestone earlier this season.

“We’re down to half a power-play unit and we don’t have any penalty-killers,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. “You’re going to face adversity; it’s how you deal with it. I’m proud of our guys. They worked their butts off.”

Goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov made 35 saves, a few quite spectacular, but allowed five goals and didn’t look sharp on some of them.

After winning eight of 10 games, the Ducks have won only one of their last six and are one game into a difficult five-game Eastern trip.

The Ducks are missing three of their top four centers--Shaun Van Allen (dislocated thumb), Steve Rucchin (sprained knee) and Bob Corkum (facial lacerations). Add Douris to that group, and the four best defensive forwards are hurt.

Corkum is able to play but has been advised not to by doctors who believe even modest contact could split open the wounds around his mouth that required 47 stitches to close. Another blow could leave him permanently disfigured, he was told.

“It’s hard, because you want to make a decision for right now as opposed to when your playing days are over,” Corkum said. “But if it splits open again I might look like the Riddler or Scarface. I’m going to give it a couple of days.

“It’s really devastating and the injuries don’t seem to stop. Guys are just dropping like flies.”

Duck Notes

The other injured players are left wing Patrik Carnback (strained rib cage), defenseman David Karpa (bruised knee), right wing Todd Ewen (hand surgery) and right wing Valeri Karpov (broken wrist). Karpov, injured Oct. 23, is on the trip after having his cast removed Wednesday and is ahead of schedule, though he’s still three to four weeks from returning. . . . Ex-Duck Stu Grimson wasn’t in the lineup, and has been a healthy scratch the past three games. Grimson has played in only 14 of Detroit’s 22 games.