Ducks Get to Come Home on a Good Note : Hockey: Kariya’s short-handed goal is key as they end five-game trip with tie against Panthers.

Todd Krygier said the Mighty Ducks were exhausted. Paul Kariya called their seven-day, five-game trip “brutal.” But they dragged their weary bodies and their injury-ridden entourage onto a plane Thursday night and headed home to Anaheim with a point not many people figured they would get.

Florida was their expansion partner in 1993. But the Panthers came into the game with the best record in the NHL at 19-7-1, then took a two-goal lead before the Ducks came back to tie, 3-3, in front of 12,142 at Miami Arena.

“For us to play as well as we did against the top team in the league was a big accomplishment for us,” said Krygier, who scored two of the Ducks’ goals and assisted Kariya on the other, a short-handed goal that started them rolling.

“To be honest, I was battening down the hatches and keeping my fingers crossed on the bench,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “That’s a great effort against a team with one of the best records in the league.

“It could have been a win, but under the circumstances, we’ll take the point.”

Their special teams had been struggling even more than usual lately, but the Duck penalty-killers came up big, blanking the Panthers on six power-play opportunities--and scoring against the Florida power play at 17:29 of the first. Kariya passed to Krygier on a two-on-one and then cut to the net, where he redirected Krygier’s pass, pushing the puck past goalie Mark Fitzpatrick.

“I think a short-handed goal is always a lift for a team, especially when you’re down, because you’re not supposed to score,” Krygier said. “I think we fed off that tonight.”

It was Kariya’s 19th goal of the season, surpassing his total from last season’s 48-game schedule in only his 30th game.

The Ducks’ power play--last in the league at 11.4% before the game--operated at 33% efficiency Thursday. So what if it was one for three? The power-play goal they scored forced overtime after Krygier took a pass from David Sacco, spun and beat Fitzpatrick low on the glove side from the right circle at 11:44 of the third.

Guy Hebert started in goal for the Ducks, a slight surprise since he started the night before and Wilson often alternates goalies on back-to-back games. But Hebert had stopped 41 of 43 shots in a loss to Tampa Bay, and Mikhail Shtalenkov had played four in a row before that, so Wilson went with Hebert.

Hebert made 26 saves against the Panthers, including 13 in the second period, holding off Florida’s speed and quickness around the net. Wilson wasn’t happy with the first goal Hebert gave up, to Terry Carkner at 5:17 of the first, but he said Hebert made “great saves” in the second. Jody Hull made the score 2-0 at 12:13 of the first.

Krygier, a regular on the first or second line who hadn’t scored a goal since Nov. 15, got his fifth of the season at 1:53 of he second. He tied the score, 2-2, when Patrik Carnback passed the puck to him on a two-on-one after defenseman Ed Jovanovski went down to try to block the pass.

Mike Hough gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead at 9:57 of the second, but it didn’t hold up. Krygier’s second goal of the game earned the Ducks the tie and moved him into second on the team in scoring with six goals and 23 points.

He has leapfrogged centers Steve Rucchin and Shaun Van Allen, who are both out until later this month with injuries.

“Steve Rucchin and Van Allen we miss a lot,” Krygier said.

Kariya agreed, but said, “You try not to worry about who you’re playing with. There’s nothing you can do about injuries so there’s no sense complaining about it.”