Ducks Overcome Mistakes to Tie

The Mighty Ducks looked like a team imploding midway through their 3-3 tie against the Edmonton Oilers at the Pond Wednesday night. Poised, they were not.

Dmitri Mironov, one of only two veteran defensemen in the lineup after the suspension of J.J. Daigneault earlier in the day, was thrown out of the game in the second period for his two-handed slash, which broke his stick and sent the Oilers’ Dan McGillis collapsing onto the ice holding his left hand.

It was the sort of play that tempts another suspension--Edmonton Coach Ron Low said there was “intent to injure” and he’ll likely the ask the NHL to review it even though McGillis returned to the game. Mironov’s ejection also left the Ducks with only one defenseman in the game with more than a year’s NHL experience--Bobby Dollas.

Dollas proved to be one of the players who helped the Ducks come from two goals behind in the final 5 1/2 minutes to tie the Oilers and move into a tie with Calgary for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

“We stayed there right to the end of the game, and if you stay there to the end, you have a chance,” Dollas said.

Rookie center Sean Pronger won a faceoff to set up Dollas’ goal off a point shot at 14:28 of the third. The shot deflected in off Oiler defenseman Jeff Norton. Then Pronger scored the tying goal with 2:44 left in regulation when he forced the puck through a crowd in front of the net off a pass from Joe Sacco.

Edmonton goalie Curtis Joseph stopped two shots in overtime--foiling Paul Kariya on a partial breakaway and handling a long shot by Dollas near the end--and Guy Hebert stopped six.

“One point is better than no points right now,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. “We had a lot of undisciplined play in the second period, but I give our guys a lot of credit for hanging in there.”

Daigneault’s suspension for slashing referee Don Koharski Sunday against Vancouver was announced Wednesday morning, and it was a setback for the Ducks.

Instead of coming out with discipline and resolve, more than a couple of the Ducks responded with short tempers and bad penalties.

Edmonton’s Andrei Kovalenko started the ugliness when he checked Steve Rucchin into the boards from behind in the first, earning a game misconduct.

Darren Van Impe, one of three rookie defensemen in the lineup for the Ducks, scored the first goal of the game on the long power play, but it proved to be the Ducks’ only goal until Dollas scored.

Even normally easy-going Duck goalie Guy Hebert received a slashing minor, pounding Kelly Buchberger in the back with his stick after Buchberger was pushed into Hebert in the crease by Van Impe during the second period.

Two of the Oiler goals came on power plays after penalties against rookie defenseman Ruslan Salei, the second one a cross-check against Buchberger along the boards.

The Oilers’ first goal stood even though it was reviewed after going into the net off the skate of Mats Lindgren, who turned his foot and angled the shot in after fanning on a pass from Buchberger.

Mike Grier scored the Oilers’ second goal on a power-play shot from the slot. Then Mariusz Czerkawski made the score 3-1 with a crowd in the crease, but referee Terry Gregson apparently felt Mironov pushed Edmonton’s Ryan Smyth in as they collided and there was no review.

The Ducks thought they had found the help they needed when they acquired Daigneault. Now they’re back on their own.

“It’s really tough for us if he’s not in the lineup,” right wing Teemu Selanne said. We still need to find a way to win.”