Ducks’ Shouting Is All Before the Game

Coach Ron Wilson took out a scalpel-sharp pencil Friday to start scratching players from his Mighty Duck lineup, and one player’s resentment boiled over in an ugly scene at the morning skate.

Todd Krygier, the Ducks’ second-leading scorer, shouted at Wilson in an expletive-laced tirade that can only politely be described as a forget-you fight after learning he wouldn’t play on a night when his parents were in the United Center to watch the Ducks lose to the Blackhawks, 3-0.

Called to center ice by Wilson as the morning skate wrapped up, Krygier argued loudly.

Wilson, calm at first, answered in kind.

“I don’t have a comment; I have a job to do,” Wilson said before his team was shut out by Chicago goalie Jeff Hackett on only 13 shots--one in the first period, four in the second and eight in the third.

“It’s between me and Krygier,” Wilson added. “I told him he’d be sitting out and he wasn’t happy. I can understand that. He doesn’t want to accept it, but I’ve decided. He’s been minus. It’s just a decision that has to be made; he wasn’t playing well and he has to be accountable.”

Third-leading scorer Mike Sillinger and defenseman David Karpa were also scratched after the Ducks’ dismal performance in a 7-2 loss to Boston on Thursday.

Krygier’s mistake Friday wasn’t so much that he was angry, but that he did it in front of everyone.

“Of course I’m upset,” said Krygier, who is usually mild-tempered. “I’ll be honest with you, I just think if Ron has a problem or I have a problem he should come to me.

“[But] they’ve been good to me here. He’s the coach, and I don’t question his authority.”

Krygier has nine goals and 33 points, but has a plus-minus rating of minus-six. He has only one goal and three assists in his last 11 games. Sillinger hasn’t scored in 13 games and is a team-worst minus-17. Karpa has made crucial errors resulting in goals and is minus-8.

“I understand that in the last 12 games I don’t have a goal and I’m not producing,” Sillinger said. “But the only way to get out of a slump is to play through it.

“All our jobs are on the line, including the coaching staff. He had to prove a point.”

Wilson could have chosen others to scratch. Rookie Chad Kilger doesn’t have a goal in his past 18 games. Defenseman Randy Ladouceur was minus-five against Boston loss and his 35-year-old legs looked it.

“Myself, I think the guys picked out today could very well have been some others,” defenseman Bobby Dollas said. “It happened to be those guys today. The next game it could be some others.”

Wilson knew the players he picked would pack more of a wallop than scratching Kilger.

“Chad’s only 19 years old,” Wilson said. “Sometimes they just expect the young guy to get axed. But we’re not in any position, when you consider where guys have come from and what their careers have been, for them to expect a job to be handed to them or be treated any different than they have in the past. You’ve got to earn your spot.

“Hopefully, they’ll respond and come back and play with intensity in Winnipeg. All three of them will be back in the lineup. And if they don’t respond, then I’ve got a problem.”

The problems against Chicago began two minutes into the game when Brent Sutter scored after Duck defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky gave up the puck. It was 2-0 after 4:02 when Jeremy Roenick scored on a power play.

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Duck Notes

Center David Sacco was activated from injured reserve and winger Peter Douris was put on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 28 because of a groin strain.