Ducks Stopped After Late Start

Coach Ron Wilson likes to say it sometimes feels as if the Mighty Ducks are living through the movie “Groundhog Day.”

For the second game in a row, the Ducks played a completely lackluster first 40 minutes and came out for the third period trailing the Dallas Stars by two goals.

This, when they’re trying to join the playoff race. As it is, they’re on a treadmill behind the teams they need to catch.

Tuesday night’s game ended in a 3-1 loss in front of 17,174 at the Pond. And talk about a familiar feeling--it was the Stars’ eighth consecutive victory over the Ducks, who haven’t beaten them since Dec. 17, 1993.

If it’s still too early to consider a game decisive in terms of the Ducks’ postseason hopes, this was nevertheless a big one. Winnipeg’s 9-4 loss to Pittsburgh earlier in the evening left the Ducks with an opportunity to close the gap between themselves and the Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs to six points. Instead, they allowed Dallas to move ahead of them into ninth place, leaving the Ducks eight points back in 11th because they also trail the Kings.

“We’ve done this the last two games, played two flat periods,” right wing Todd Ewen said. “We’ve got to understand we can’t play 20 minutes and expect to win. We have to have the effort we had in the third period for 60 minutes.

“I’m definitely grasping for explanations. There shouldn’t be any question we have to get up for every game when we’re in the last 20 games and we’re going for a playoff spot.”

The Ducks were in danger of being shut out by Andy Moog until 2:45 remained, when Paul Kariya chased down the puck and threw it to Teemu Selanne near the right post. Selanne’s goal, his 33rd, extended his club-record point streak to 11 games. He has yet to be held without a point in a Duck uniform, and has scored in 26 of his last 27 games overall.

The Ducks trailed, 2-0, after two periods Tuesday just as they did Sunday against Tampa Bay. A quick rally in the first few minutes of the final period against Tampa Bay earned them a 2-2 tie, but there was no rally to speak of Tuesday.

The game was scoreless until 5:37 into the second period, when the Stars’ Joe Nieuwendyk and Duck defenseman Jason York battled for a rebound in front of the net on a power play, popping the puck up and over Duck goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov’s shoulder.

The second goal was even more awkward. With the teams skating four-on-four, Shtalenkov went out to try to clear a loose puck in the slot, only to lose his stick as teammate J.F. Jomphe skated in to try to help. The Stars’ Jere Lehtinen was in the right place to take advantage of the moment, and he swept the puck past Shtalenkov into a nearly open net at 12:10 of the second period.

“Those first two goals were lucky,” Wilson said. “But you make your own luck.”

The Stars’ third goal was scored by defenseman Mike Lalor, his first of the season.

Part of the Ducks’ game plan was to keep Mike Modano in check, but he assisted on all three goals. Wilson juggled the line combinations for the game, taking Shaun Van Allen off a line with Kariya and Selanne so he could use him in a defensive role against Modano. Wilson also separated Kariya and Selanne at first, but reunited them during the game in search of offense. It made enough difference for the Ducks to avoid being shut out, but not to keep the Stars from putting them in their rear-view mirror.

“Until it’s mathematically impossible, any time is a good time to start making a run,” Ewen said. “You can’t play well every night, but you can play hard every night. That’s the most important thing we have to understand.”

Duck Notes

Goalie Guy Hebert didn’t start for the seventh time in eight games as Coach Ron Wilson continues to go with Mikhail Shtalenkov, though Shtalenkov might have faltered enough against the Stars to give Hebert an opening. Wilson’s confidence in Hebert was shaken by Hebert’s unsteady outing in a 4-3 victory over San Jose on Feb. 25. “It’s difficult,” Hebert said. “I’m trying not to be selfish. I think I’m a pretty good team player. We need to do what it takes to get points.”