Wilson, Blackhawks Shake Up the Ducks

The Mighty Ducks knew what was coming, they just didn’t know who among them it was going to be.

Exasperated by inconsistent effort, Coach Ron Wilson left three regulars in street clothes Sunday--two of them assistant captains--as he tried to find a team that would play with “a little more emotion and passion.”

To make his point emphatic, Wilson put two youngsters who had never played an NHL game into the lineup before the Ducks lost to the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1, in front of 17,174 at the Pond of Anaheim.

Veterans Bob Corkum, Todd Krygier and Mike Sillinger were scratched to help make way for Jim Campbell and J.F. Jomphe, fresh in from minor-league Baltimore. For Krygier and Sillinger--the Ducks’ second and third leading scorers--it was the second time in a little more than a month that Wilson had left them out.

The move sent a chill through the dressing room, as it was meant to do.

“I’ve sat out before and I know what it’s like,” said winger Garry Valk, who admitted he thought maybe he was going to be out himself. “It’s some of the worst days of your life. You come to the rink and you’re not part of the team. You’re out and your confidence is down.

“I think Ron and [General Manager Jack Ferreira] wanted to make a point that it’s not a country club. Guys have to be responsible for their own actions.”

The Ducks battled a little harder and Campbell and Jomphe showed some exuberance, but the Blackhawks’ steady, gritty play overwhelmed the Ducks. Chris Chelios scored two goals, and his 51 points make him the only defenseman in the league who is leading his team in scoring.

Wilson didn’t make any commitments about whether the veterans will return for the Ducks’ next game Wednesday against Toronto.

“It could be temporary and it could be a long time,” he said. “Those two played well enough that they deserve to play against the Leafs. . . .

“I’m not of the opinion that if you play poorly or aren’t scoring you sit out, but jeez, when it’s been a month or a month and a half. . . . You might see some young guys coming in and playing a lot. Then there’s a little fear that they might take your position or your job.”

Sillinger has been the bright young prospect himself before, but he has gone 19 games without a goal and has a team-worst plus-minus rating of minus-19. Krygier, who got into an expletive-laced argument with Wilson the last time he was scratched, has one goal in his last 17 games, and Wilson held both players responsible for goals against in a loss to Hartford on Friday.

Corkum, the Ducks’ leading scorer two seasons ago, is cast in a more defensive role now but has only five goals and 12 points.

One question, though, is how much those players are under-performing--or whether they are simply performing as they have most of their careers. Krygier has a career-high 34 points, and Sillinger is one point shy of his career high of 29.