Dollas, Ducks Get Job Done

Somebody handed Mighty Duck defenseman Bobby Dollas the final score sheet Wednesday night. He took a quick glance, then tossed it aside, not in anger but with a chuckle.

“One-nothing game,” Dollas said, smiling. “Not much to look at.”

Right. Just the way he likes games this time of year. Tight-checking. Few scoring chances. Close to the vest.

Best of all, as far as Dollas was concerned, the Ducks gained a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in one of a series of must-win games down the stretch.

“That could have been a playoff game,” he said. “Both teams waited and waited for mistake, and they didn’t come. They [the Oilers] didn’t even make a mistake.”

Paul Kariya put a wrist shot from the blue line past Edmonton goaltender Joaquin Gage with the Ducks on a power play at the 9:21 mark of the first period.

And that was it. There was no further scoring, but that’s not to say there was no further action. Most of it was performed in the corners and in front of the net, away from the limelight.

It’s dirty work, but if the Ducks are to rally to the first playoff berth in their three-year history it cannot be overlooked, according to Dollas.

Dollas, who teams with Jason York to form the Ducks’ top defensive pairing, noticed even the team’s millionaires bumping and shoving and pushing when they could.

“If you looked, Paul was working in the corners to get the puck,” Dollas said. “Teemu [Selanne] was the same way. I don’t know, did Teemu have a point tonight?”

Told Selanne assisted on Kariya’s goal, recording his 16th assist and 29th point since the Feb. 7 trade from Winnipeg, Dollas said, “You keep buzzing the net and good things are going to happen.”

It wouldn’t be accurate to say the Ducks outhustled and outworked the Oilers. At times, Edmonton played stronger and more determined then the Ducks, but couldn’t solve the pressure in front of goalie Guy Hebert, who posted his third shutout of the year.

Hebert credited his teammates for helping him get the shutout, saying he was “just a guy standing around.” Dollas praised Hebert, saying a hot goalie is the key to the playoff drive. But he agreed the defense was the key.

“It’s not a fluke it was a 1-0 game,” Dollas said. “There was no room in the middle of the ice. How many shots were point-blank? [Both teams] took pride in defending their own zone. They didn’t cough up the puck.

“Fortunately for us, we got the first goal.”

The Ducks didn’t exactly go into a defensive shell after Kariya scored his 44th goal this season. They pressed for a second goal, knowing it would be a back-breaker. It never came.

“Every team plays defensively, especially at this point in the season,” Oiler defenseman Luke Richardson said. “The Ducks certainly played a great transition game. I don’t know if you want to call it a trap, but they certainly play defense very well.”