Ducks Ready for a Break After Losing

The Mighty Ducks reached the All-Star break Wednesday night--with the emphasis on break.

The Ducks lost to the Calgary Flames, 4-1, at the Pond, ending a stretch in which they played seven games in 13 days in four time zones and seven cities.

Paul Kariya is headed for the All-Star game in Boston, but the rest of the Ducks will have two days off before gathering with their families on a team retreat at the Canadian ski resort of Whistler, B.C., north of Vancouver.

“I think there will be a few restrictions on us,” goaltender Guy Hebert said. “I never skied before. This might be a bad time to try.”

The Ducks don’t play again until Wednesday, when they’ll face the Canucks in Vancouver, and they have only three games in the next two weeks.

“This is going to be a good opportunity for us to work on getting our team back to keeping the game simple,” Coach Ron Wilson said.

After being at .500 around the quarter-season mark, the Ducks have won only five of their last 25 games. With a 16-26-5 record after 47 games, it’s time for them to mount whatever challenge they have in them--especially since they are almost completely healthy for the first time in a couple of months.

The Ducks had won six in a row against Calgary before Wednesday, outscoring them 24-8. But Calgary jumped ahead, 2-0, after 11 1/2 minutes, exactly the sort of start the Ducks needed to avoid.

Hebert didn’t appear to be seeing the puck well, and Wilson switched to Mikhail Shtalenkov to start the second period with the Ducks trailing, 3-1.

With Trevor Kidd in goal for Calgary, the Ducks managed only David Sacco’s power-play goal at 14:31 of the first. Kidd made 29 saves.

It was an odd game, with four goals in the first 19:12 and not another until 43 seconds remained, when Theoren Fleury scored into an empty-net after Wilson pulled Shtalenkov for an extra attacker.

Sandy McCarthy put the Flames ahead only 2:08 into the game when the Flames won a battle along the boards and McCarthy got the puck in the left circle, spinning and flinging it past a surprised Hebert.

“The first goal was just God-awful, not what you need, especially against Calgary,” Wilson said. “It puts you behind the eight ball when the first shot goes in, especially that kind of shot.”

The score was 2-0 after Kevin Dahl scored, and Cory Stillman made it 3-1 after Mike Sillinger made a turnover in the final minute of the period and Stillman got out on a breakaway and eventually shot the puck over Hebert, who went down early.

Shtalenkov--who has played only twice this month, both times in relief--made some sharp saves, but the damage was done.

Of minor note for the Ducks was the debut of defenseman Fredrik Olausson, who was claimed on waivers from Edmonton Tuesday as the Ducks seek help for their sagging power play.

Olausson, 29, is a veteran offensive defenseman, but had played only 20 games this season because of a series of health problems--a broken rib, an irregular heartbeat and colitis.

Wilson said he thought Olausson, who made a scrambling assist on Sacco’s goal, moved the puck well on the power play and showed good positioning, even though he was a bit rusty.

The Ducks have needed help at the point all season, particularly after Milos Holan was diagnosed with leukemia.

“You have to look at the guys we have on the power play,” Wilson said. “Outside of Paul we don’t have anybody who’s accomplished anything in the league.”

Duck Notes

Coach Ron Wilson said he will sign his one-year contract extension through the 1996-97 season today after receiving the papers Tuesday. At the end of this season, the contract calls for the Ducks to offer an additional year, through 1997-98, or Wilson has the right to consider other offers. . . . Defenseman Milos Holan, who’s preparing to undergo a bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia, was at the game with his wife and daughter. He’ll meet with doctors later this month to determine his schedule, but said he has been working out every day. “The doctor told me it’s better to be in shape, and I don’t want to watch TV all day,” he said..