Sacco Brothers Bag Penguins to Give Ducks a Boost : Hockey: David, recently called up from the minors, and Joe, recently struggling, each score in 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh.

Five goals against Binghamton is one thing, a nice memory to tuck away. After all, it’s just the minors.

But a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins? Now that’s something to relish, a story to tell the grandkids some day.

There’s no telling how David Sacco might recall his first goal as a member of the Mighty Ducks when he’s old and gray, but here’s pretty much how it happened:

With the Ducks buzzing the Pittsburgh net Wednesday night, Paul Kariya sent a cross-ice pass to Todd Krygier, who slipped it the other direction to Sacco, who put it behind goaltender Ken Wregget.

The goal gave the Ducks a 3-1 first-period lead over the Penguins, remarkable when you consider the Ducks were winless in nine consecutive and the Penguins had an eight-game winning streak.

Sacco’s older brother, Joe, added a crucial third-period goal that gave the Ducks a 5-2 lead and they coasted to a 6-3 victory before 17,174 at The Pond.

So what’s better, somebody later asked David Sacco, five versus Binghamton of the American Hockey League or one against Pittsburgh of Lemieux, Jagr and Francis?

He didn’t hesitate.

“I’d have to say one against Pittsburgh,” Sacco said, smiling.

“That,” he added, speaking of the five-goal game Dec. 2 that prompted his recall from the Ducks’ minor-league affiliate at Baltimore, “was one of those nights when I got lucky.”

The Ducks needed much more than luck against the Penguins. They needed a kick in the right direction, winless as they were since Nov. 21 and facing one of the league’s most-feared offensive powerhouses.

Coach Ron Wilson matched lines for one of the few times in his tenure with the Ducks with David Sacco, Kariya and Krygier facing off against the formidable trio of Ron Francis, Peter Nedved and Jaromir Jagr.

By game’s end, it was clear who emerged as the clear victors.

“David’s line got the ball rolling for us,” Joe Sacco said. “We owe a lot to that line.”

David Sacco returned the compliment.

“It was good for Joe,” he said. “He’s been snakebit a little. I think our parents will be excited about this.”

Wilson pointed to Joe Sacco’s goal, on a breakaway started by Patrik Carnback’s outlet pass 6:33 into the third period, as the game’s most important.

“That was a huge goal Joe Sacco scored,” Wilson said. “We were almost following the script.”

Meaning, Wilson could see the momentum beginning to shift to the faster, more skillful Penguins.

“They scored a lucky goal to make it 4-2 and we started to get tentative,” he said. “But we got through it.”

Thanks to the Sacco brothers.