Ducks’ Back Line Is Mighty Thin

It was late in the second period of a tight game Wednesday, and the Mighty Ducks had a one-goal lead.

On the ice, they had only two defensemen who weren’t rookies.

Bobby Dollas and Dmitri Mironov are the only veterans standing after a rash of injuries, and the Duck defense was wobbly even before people started getting hurt.

The Ducks won Wednesday’s game, beating last-place Toronto, 5-2. But unless General Manager Jack Ferreira finally pulls another experienced defenseman out of his hat, the Ducks’ future will rest on how well a green bunch can hold the fort.

“Every team needs another experienced defenseman,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

It’s difficult to trade for a quality defenseman, which is why the Ducks’ failure to sign one of the free agents available last summer looks like such a mistake. By the March 18 trading deadline, they might have to decide whether it’s time to part with a high draft pick to get help now.

At this point, the Ducks are still trying out prospects, hoping they can handle the work. “Unfortunately, they can’t bring in Paul Coffey or Scott Stevens to help us out,” Dollas said. “We’ve got to play with who we’ve got.”

Who have the Ducks got?

Dave Karpa is out for several weeks because of a broken bone in his hand. Ditto Ken Baumgartner. Jason Marshall, a first-year NHL player who has been a reliable defenseman most of the year, has a sprained thumb but might be able to play Saturday in Vancouver.

Who’s left?

--Darren Van Impe, who has played 67 games in the NHL and has made some costly mistakes this season.

--Ruslan Salei, drafted in the first round last June because the Ducks figured he might be ready to play in the NHL right away. He wasn’t.

--Dan Trebil, a big, promising rookie who has played very well during an NHL career that spans four games.

--Nikolai Tsulygin, the Ducks’ second-round pick in 1993, one round after Paul Kariya, who has yet to become a regular and doesn’t have the coaching staff’s confidence.

The other options probably include fringe players such as Oleg Mikulchik or Adrian Plavsic, both with the Long Beach Ice Dogs after being dropped from the Ducks’ 24-man roster.

It’s all enough to make you appreciate Karpa, who takes so many exasperatingly bad penalties that it’s easy to overlook his sound defensive game.

“I’m pleased with Dave. He gets scored on once every 33 minutes of five-on-five hockey, and that’s by far the best on the team,” said assistant coach Walt Kyle, who works with the defense. “That element that ticks you off when he takes a dumb penalty is also what makes him effective. I love his toughness and competitiveness. I think he’s turned into a good, solid defensive guy.”

Until Karpa and Baumgartner get back, the mantra for the young defense is going to be something like, “Play with your head and not with your feet.” The Ducks need to play cautiously and conservatively, stay in position and forget the big hit if it might mean leaving a man open cutting to the net.

“Everybody says, ‘Keep it simple,’ ” Trebil said.

The defensemen could also use some help from the guys up front.

“In the past, everyone was committed to playing defense,” Karpa said. “When three lines play defensively and are even, there’s a good chance we’re going to win. We’ve got one line that’s a big-scoring line. If the other three stay even, we should win hockey games.

“When we play Colorado or Detroit, we know we have to play defense first. It’s not always that way with other teams, though. We play with a little more fear against the good teams. We’ve got to do that every night. It’s time to go now, we can’t wait.”

Staff writer Elliott Teaford contributed to this story.