Ducks’ Kariya Earns First Five-Point Game

Two goals and three assists from all-star left wing Paul Kariya?

Ho-hum. Happens all the time.

Well, actually, it might seem as if he does that once a week or so, but the truth is that was a first for Kariya Friday night at the Pond.

Kariya has had two four-point games in his career, but Friday was his first five-point game. Was it any wonder the Mighty Ducks routed the Calgary Flames, 7-0.

“He’s certainly a pleasure to watch,” goaltender Guy Hebert said. “Wait until he and Teemu [Selanne] play together for a few years. That’s like [Wayne] Gretzky and [Jari] Kurri used to be right there.”

Kariya rolled his eyes when told of Hebert’s assessment.

“You can’t compare anyone to those two guys,” Kariya said. “We play different styles. We’re still learning to play together. We’re still a ways from where we could be.”

He’s probably right, though.

Selanne is 26 and Kariya 22.

It’s easy to forget sometimes that Kariya, in particular, is still so young. He could still be playing for the Maine Black Bears if the Ducks hadn’t made him their top pick in the 1993-94 draft. This would have been his senior season.

The Ducks had visions of five-point nights, and it finally happened. They built the franchise around Kariya and again it seems to have been the right move.

“I was watching Paul in practice all week and he looked as sharp as he has all season,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “I said to Walt [Kyle] and Tim [Army, the Duck assistant coaches], ‘I think Paul and Teemu are going to explode tonight if they get the opportunities.’

“And they sure did.”

Selanne had one goal and two assists and extended his point streak to nine consecutive games. Center Steve Rucchin had his first career three-point game (one goal, two assists).

That’s 11 points from the Ducks’ top line and a 35-14-5 record when Kariya records two or more points.

Perhaps the best play he made all night was chasing down a clearing pass with the Flames on the power play toward the end of the second period.

Kariya delivered a crunching check to Calgary defenseman Yves Racine, knocking him off the puck. Kariya gathered the loose puck and fed a perfect pass to Rucchin trailing the play. Rucchin beat goalie Trevor Kidd for a team-record third shorthanded goal.

The Ducks led, 4-0, at that point.

“He used his speed to his advantage,” Hebert said. “I don’t think teams ever expect him to take the body. But Paul’s an opportunist. That’s the best word for him.”

“Prolific” probably isn’t a bad term either.

After missing 11 games because of an abdominal injury and two more because of a concussion, Kariya has rebounded to a 100-point pace. He also has a shot at scoring 50 goals for the second straight season.

Friday marked his 20th game. He has 12 goals and 30 points.

“It’s fun to see all those hours of hard work are paying off for him,” Wilson said. “You can make a lot of great plays in a hockey game and come up with nothing on the score sheet. It’s nice to see him make the great plays and have it pay off.”