Rucchin Unusually Quick to the Draw

The NHL does not keep statistics on faceoffs, but the Mighty Ducks usually lose more draws than they win. So, it came as a big surprise when center Steve Rucchin won three faceoffs that led directly to goals Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning .

The Lightning has two of the better faceoff artists in the league in Chris Gratton and Brian Bradley, which made Rucchin’s success even more remarkable.

“I just tried to go forward with it,” Rucchin said of winning a third-period faceoff against Gratton that set up the go-ahead goal in the Ducks’ 3-1 victory. “I didn’t see anybody covering the front of the net. Faceoffs are definitely a key. You don’t see [scoring] off faceoffs three times like that very often.”

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Coach Ron Wilson on winger Valeri Karpov, who played for the first time since suffering a concussion Oct. 24: “He made a couple of great plays that resulted in near-misses. I thought he played very well considering how long he’s been out.”

Karpov took Ken Baumgartner’s spot in the lineup. Baumgartner has a sprained ankle and his status is day to day.