All Ducks Need Is to Keep Playing Colorado

Time is short and few will be surprised if the Mighty Ducks fail to secure a Western Conference playoff berth.

Then again, if the Ducks play with the skill and passion they displayed in dispatching the Colorado Avalanche, 4-0, Wednesday at the Pond, anything is possible.

The Ducks looked like a polished, confident playoff team.

The victory, their third in a row, moved the Ducks to within five points of Winnipeg for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. They’re only six points behind Toronto for the No. 7 spot.

Colorado seemed to forget how to play in the fashion that has enabled it to become the runaway leader in the Pacific Division.

The Avalanche took bad penalties, lost track of the Ducks buzzing the net, lost their cool and performed their third consecutive bellyflop in Anaheim. Colorado lost, 7-3, in November and 2-1 in January at the Pond.

Goaltender Guy Hebert stopped all 27 Colorado shots and recorded his second shutout this season and the seventh of his career. Teemu Selanne recorded a point for his 14th consecutive game since joining the Ducks in the Feb. 7 trade from Winnipeg. The Ducks also got contributions from players far down on their depth chart.

Colorado did not, and its top scorers, Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic, seemed invisible for long stretches. Forsberg’s biggest contribution was a third-period elbow to Bobby Dollas’ head that resulted in a boarding penalty.

Valeri Karpov scored the first of his two goals to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 17:09 of the first period. Joe Sacco made the play click, skating uncovered behind the Colorado net and slipping a pass out front to Karpov, who was camped out in the slot.

Karpov moved from his forehand to his backhand and flipped the puck past Patrick Roy.

Karpov’s second goal involved a bit of luck. His wrist shot from a bad angle caromed off goalie Roy’s right pad and into the net 1:37 into the second period.

Selanne then set up Garry Valk with a pretty move through the Avalanche defense and a perfect pass. Valk one-timed the pass over Roy’s right shoulder for a 3-0 lead at 10:28. Steve Rucchin’s short-handed goal gave the Ducks a 4-0 lead early in the third period.

Roy is considered one of the league’s top goalies, but he’s a three-time loser against the Ducks this season. They got him once as a member of the Montreal Canadiens Nov. 8, then Jan. 31 after he was traded to Colorado.

And he looked like a frustrated hothead with 4:23 to play in the second period, taking a swing at J.F. Jomphe during a scuffle along the boards.

Upset that Jomphe upended him while going after a loose puck, Roy joined tough guy Warren Rychel in chasing down the Duck rookie. Rychel and David Karpa eventually squared off to fight and that’s when Roy popped Jomphe.

When the rumble was broken up, the sellout crowd of 17,174 razzed Roy with a “Pat-rick, Pat-rick” chant.

Duck Notes

The Ducks signed defenseman Fredrik Olausson, who has given the power play a boost since he was claimed off waivers from Edmonton on Jan. 16, to a new two-year contract. Hovering around a league-low 10% conversion rate for most of the season, the power play is clicking at 16.8% in the 21 games since Olausson joined the Ducks. . . . Captain Randy Ladouceur was a scratch for the second consecutive game. Ladouceur, a defenseman, has played in 62 of 68 games and has a plus-minus rating of plus six.