Mighty Ducks’ Leclerc Makes Auspicious Debut

The Mighty Ducks limped into the United Center on Friday, bruised and bloodied.

The strained muscles around leading scorer Teemu Selanne’s rib cage felt no better. A day of rest could not cure goaltender Guy Hebert’s exhaustion. And the Ducks’ precarious hold on a playoff spot figured to slip another notch against the Chicago Blackhawks.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Ducks’ third consecutive loss and fourth in five games. Somehow, some way, they managed a 4-3 victory.

Instead of standing still in the tight Western Conference playoff race, the Ducks gained ground. The victory moved them into a fifth-place tie with Edmonton with 75 points.

They didn’t have Selanne’s exceptional speed and skill Friday, but rookie winger Mike Leclerc came up with the winning goal in his first NHL game.

Hebert’s franchise-record streak of 23 starts ended, but backup Mikhail Shtalenkov filled in admirably.

“I don’t know what my expectations were coming in here,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said.

Actually, Wilson knew precisely what to expect. At the morning skate, he gathered the Ducks around him and asked veteran winger Brian Bellows to say a few words about what it takes to play a big game against a physical team like the Blackhawks.

Wilson then told the players the game’s first 10 minutes would set the tone. If the Ducks could weather the Blackhawks’ big hits along the boards and keep them scoreless, then they could win.

If not, the Ducks would be in trouble.

“We’ve faced some real adversity here,” Wilson said, referring to Selanne’s injury, Hebert’s fatigue and a 1-3 record in the first four games of this seasonlong six-game trip.

“We’ve had injuries. Guy is pooped out. Our backs are against the wall. We could go home in ninth place.

“But I’m really proud of our guys.”

Leclerc’s goal, in his NHL debut after being called up from Baltimore of the American Hockey League on Thursday, was an unexpected bonus. A poor clearing pass by Chicago’s Michal Sykora went right to Leclerc, and he didn’t miss from the right faceoff circle.

“I just wanted to get a good shot away,” said Leclerc, who also assisted on the Ducks’ second goal for his first NHL point. “I saw some open net in the lower-right corner and put it right there. This is unbelievable.”

General Manager Jack Ferreira told Wilson he would promote Leclerc, who almost made the opening-night roster after an impressive training camp, but only if he would play.

“We talked about needing someone who would give us a little juice,” Ferreira said.

Leclerc’s goal energized the Ducks, giving them a 4-2 lead at the 8:03 mark of the third period.

Shtalenkov’s success against Chicago wasn’t quite as surprising. After all, he had shut out the Blackhawks, 2-0, Oct. 9 at the United Center.

He stopped 26 of 29 shots this time, but couldn’t do much about two of the three Chicago goals. Ethan Moreau redirected a centering pass past Shtalenkov for the Blackhawks’ first goal. Sergei Krivokrasov then banked home a point shot off the rear end of Duck defenseman David Karpa.

“I tried to stay positive after those goals,” said Shtalenkov, making his first start since Feb. 4. “I was trying to keep things simple. Sometimes when you don’t play so much you [try too hard]. I tried not to do that.”

Wilson had been reluctant to give Hebert a rest, preferring to stick with the hot hand in goal. But Hebert had to leave Sunday’s victory over Edmonton when he began to hyperventilate at the end of the first period.

Hebert played all 60 minutes in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Calgary, then was pulled in favor of Shtalenkov after giving up four goals on 12 shots in a 5-3 loss to Vancouver on Wednesday.