Ducks Win, Hit the Road

The streak is over.

No, not the Mighty Ducks’ unbeaten streak. That one’s still going strong at 12 games and counting after a 6-2 victory over the Kings Wednesday in front of 17,174 at the Pond.

But the Ducks’ winless streak--two disheartening ties--is behind them.

“These days, a tie is not good enough for the Mighty Ducks,” said Jari Kurri, a former King.

That’s because the Ducks seem to have to win simply to keep pace in the frantic Western Conference playoff race. They haven’t lost for a month, but with 11 games left, they are tied for fifth with Phoenix, three points ahead of ninth-place Chicago.

They leave today on a six-game trip that begins with a stiff test Friday against Colorado, which has the best record in the NHL but has been tied by the Ducks three times this season.

“It’s unrealistic to win all 82 games,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. “You’re going to have ups and downs even when you’re on a roll.”

The Kings had won one of their last six games, but they were the last team to beat the Ducks, winning a 3-1 game Feb. 20 at the Forum.

This time, the Ducks’ Teemu Selanne scored two goals--his 44th and 45th of the season--tying him for second in the NHL with injured Pittsburgh star Jaromir Jagr, one goal behind Philadelphia’s John LeClair, who has 46.

Defenseman Dmitri Mironov had a goal and two assists, his first three-point game as a Duck.

“We make a mistake, and it was in the net,” King Coach Larry Robinson said. “Chances were about even. They have scorers and we don’t.”

The victory over the Kings was a convincing one, and it gave the Ducks a .500 record for the first time since Nov. 21, 1995, when they were 11-11. That’s significant because .500 will usually get a team to the playoffs, so the Ducks could win one, lose one the rest of the way--or even tie them all--and probably make it.

Selanne’s second goal came late in the third, and he turned a fellow Finn inside out, going around a befuddled Aki Berg by switching to his backhand and then lifting the puck into the opposite corner of the net past Byron Dafoe.

“I feel bad for Aki Berg,” Wilson said. “He’s a young player and he’s going to be a great defenseman in this league. Teemu really made him look bad. I’m sure next time Aki Berg will be ready for that move.”

Kevin Stevens and Ray Ferraro scored for the Kings, but Duck goalie Guy Hebert stopped 33 of 35 shots.

Still, the lead was 3-2 before Richard Park, the self-described “California boy” from Rancho Palos Verdes, scored his first goal as a Duck 2:32 into the third period.

“We played tough and struggled back in the game and then tossed it away in the beginning of the third,” Ferraro said. “Anaheim is really playing hot right now.”

The players acquired before Tuesday’s NHL trading deadline caught some eyes in their debuts, no one more than Park.

He gave the Ducks some breathing room when he made the lead 4-2 after he corralled a wild rebound near the right post, putting it into a nearly open net behind King goalie Byron Dafoe.

Wilson hoped for some “youthful enthusiasm” from Park, 20, but got more than that: Park sparked several scoring chances despite playing on the fourth line with Warren Rychel and Ken Baumgartner. Baumgartner got a rare assist on Park’s goal, reaching a career high with his ninth point of the season.

Park also got a chance on a breakaway, but shot the puck over the net--perhaps out of excitement.

“I’m kind of jumping on the bandwagon here. They’ve got a great streak going,” said Park, acquired from Pittsburgh on Tuesday. “Going from watching Lemieux and Jagr to Kariya and Selanne--there’s not too much difference, let me tell you.”

Mark Janssens, the Ducks’ other new player, added physical presence and had an assist on Ted Drury’s goal 3:58 into the game. The Kings’ only new player, Glen Murray, assisted on the goal by Ferraro that cut the Ducks lead to 3-2 at 16:01 of the second period.

“The two new guys added a little jump and Park has a lot of energy out there,” Selanne said. “I think it was good not to get so many new players. I’m happy with this team right now. . . . The chemistry is really good.”

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Western Conference Playoff Race

The Ducks are in the thick of the battle for their first playoff berths. The top eight teams advance to postseason play.

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No. Team W L T Pts 5. Phoenix 33 34 5 71 5. Ducks 30 30 11 71 7. Calgary 31 34 8 70 8. St. Louis 30 32 9 69 9. Chicago 28 31 12 68

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