Ducks Take Care of Some Business and the Kings

The Mighty Ducks are on their way to places they’ve never been. But before they go, Teemu Selanne visited a place he has been before.

With 37 seconds left in the Ducks’ 4-1 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night at the Pond of Anaheim, Paul Kariya and Selanne sprinted toward the Kings’ empty net. Kariya fed Selanne, who scored his 50th goal of the season, inspiring a hail of hats from the stands, not for a hat trick, but only as the fans’ best attempt to show their appreciation.

It was hardly a first for Selanne, who scored 76 goals during the 1992-93 season to set an NHL rookie record. But it was a first of sorts for the Ducks--the first time they’ve had consecutive 50-goal scorers, after Kariya did it last season in the final game.

Still ahead for the Ducks, of course, is the Stanley Cup playoffs. And another piece of uncharted territory: Their first winning season. They are two games over .500 for the first time in their four-year history at 35-33-13, and have only one game left.

The Ducks might not have overwhelmed the Kings the way they would have liked, but they gained two more points, and are still alive for home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

If the Ducks beat San Jose in their final game Friday, they’ll be in the favorable 4-5 matchup, though their opponent is still up in the air.

And if the Ducks win and Edmonton does anything less than win its final two games, the Ducks will have home-ice advantage by finishing fourth.

That means they would play the first two playoff games at the Pond, where they haven’t lost since Feb. 2, finishing the season with a 14-game unbeaten streak. (Only New Jersey’s 15-game unbeaten streak at home was longer this season.)

The Kings, unfortunately, are going a few places they have been before. For them, all that is ahead is a spot in the NHL draft lottery and a chance to watch some of their own in the World Championships.

But for the first time in nearly four years--since June 1993 when the Kings played Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals--there is going to be postseason hockey in Southern California.

Until the final minute, Kariya and Selanne were held without a point.

Instead, defenseman Dave Karpa led the Ducks with a goal, a big save and a fight. Ken Baumgartner had two fights and two assists, and Dmitri Mironov and Brian Bellows scored the Ducks’ other goals.

The Kings’ Ray Ferraro took the angry young man prize, getting a game misconduct for continuing to fuss after being called for tripping Brian Bellows. From the tunnel, in an odd expression, he fought off the desire to throw a water bottle on the ice, then emptied it and threw it against the wall.

It was a 1-0 game early in the third period--too tight for the Ducks’ taste already--and it got tighter.

The Ducks’ Jari Kurri lost the puck and fell in his offensive zone, and the Kings’ Philippe Boucher quickly got the puck up to Glen Murray, who encountered too little resistance from Duck defensemen Bobby Dollas and Dan Trebil, splitting them rather easily and tying the score, 1-1, at 1:52.

Little more than a minute later, Karpa got the lead back with a point shot, and Bellows made the lead, 3-1, at 4:01 of the final period.

The Ducks’ first goal came off another odd play, and some creative thinking by Duck winger Warren Rychel.

Mironov’s shot from low in the circle off a pass from Baumgartner behind the goal line was straight enough.

But Rychel had driven to the net and was dangerously close to the crease. Alarmed that he might cause the goal to be disallowed, Rychel leaped as the puck came, then landed inside the crease--but after the puck was in the net. That’s hardly the spirit of the rule--and King goalie Byron Dafoe seemed utterly befuddled--but after a video review, referee Richard Trottier let the goal stand.

Goalie Guy Hebert returned for the Ducks after playing sparingly recently and mostly looked sharp and alert.