Hebert, Kariya Sharp in Shutout

Getting conked on the head knocked Mighty Duck goalie Guy Hebert out of the lineup for two games, but it couldn’t knock him off his stride.

Hebert returned Friday after a 10-day layoff because of a concussion and a break in the Ducks’ schedule but still shut out Calgary, 7-0, in front of 17,084 at the Pond.

Nothing short of injury seems capable of stopping the Ducks’ Paul Kariya, who scored two goals and collected three assists for a career-high five points. He has 12 goals and 30 points in only 20 games this season, and might reach 100 points despite missing 13 games already, 11 because of a lingering abdominal injury and two more because of a concussion.

It was a giddy night for the Ducks, who came back after a week off and set club records by scoring three short-handed goals as well as winning by seven goals. The seven goals they scored also tied a club record.

Hebert made 39 saves for his 12th NHL shutout. Most impressively, the shutout was his third in the last nine games and he hasn’t lost in six games. His hot streak wasn’t halted by the concussion he suffered Dec. 9 when Boston’s Troy Mallette accidentally hit him in the head with a stick.

“I wanted to get back on the same roll I was on before I got hit,” said Hebert, who was eager to come back last week but was glad he waited, saying things seemed “a lot more clear.”

“The days we had off couldn’t have come at a better time for me,” said Hebert, who was required to be solid but not spectacular against Calgary.

“He had no idea where he was,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said, then broke into a grin. “Of course he’s all right. I’m glad he got the shutout. He deserves it. He’s one of the main reasons we’ve been going up in the standings so quickly.”

After a 1-9-2 start, the Ducks have climbed back to four games below .500 overall at 12-16-5, leapfrogging the Kings in the standings with the victory.

It’s hard to overestimate Kariya’s impact. His line combined for four goals--two by Kariya, one by Steve Rucchin and one by Teemu Selanne, who extended his point streak to nine games and scored his 18th goal of the season.

“I felt sorry for their team. You can’t do much to keep that line from putting the puck in the net,” defenseman Bobby Dollas said.

The Flames’ defense corps has been hit hard by injuries, and the Ducks victimized the inexperienced substitutes, especially when Calgary was on the power play. The Flames have given up a league-worst 11 short-handed goals.

“I wouldn’t call this one a classic,” Calgary Coach Pierre Page said. “They capitalized and they made us look worse.”

Kariya turned the game in the Ducks’ direction at a crucial moment in the first after Ted Drury was thrown out of the game for boarding Jamie Allison, who suffered a deep cut below his left eye and didn’t return.

The Ducks were trying to kill the five-minute power play when Rucchin won a faceoff to spring Kariya on a breakaway, chasing the puck down just over the blue line, then sweeping in to beat Trevor Kidd with a backhand shot for a 1-0 lead at 9:08.

The Ducks led, 2-0, at the end of the period after Joe Sacco scored the first of his two goals, stripping the puck from defenseman Todd Simpson.

That was the Ducks’ last even-strength goal until 4:48 into the third period, when defenseman Dmitri Mironov made the score 5-0 with his third goal in the last two games.

The parade of short-handed goals had continued in the second, when Sacco scored his 1:58 into the period on a shorthanded breakaway started by Darren Van Impe’s terrific lead pass.

Kariya set up yet another short-handed goal later in the second when he harassed defenseman Yves Racine on the forecheck, checking him into the boards to free the puck, then throwing it to Rucchin in front of the net for a 4-0 lead.

“I think we’ve played better games that we’ve won or lost, 2-1 or 3-2,” Hebert said. “I don’t think this is going to happen too often, but it’s nice to show other teams in the league we can do it. We’re not going to kid ourselves. We’re still going to win our share, 3-2.”