Ducks' Goal Simply Is to Survive

By ROBYN NORWOOD

April 27, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Mighty Ducks believe they thrive on pressure, and now they have it: Their season could be over by supper time today.

The Ducks face elimination in Game 6 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Phoenix Coyotes at noon today at America West Arena, where they have scored only one goal in two games, both losses.

They trail the Coyotes, three games to two, after losing three games in a row, and Coach Ron Wilson’s emotions churned as he spoke to his team at the end of practice Saturday.

“I just started to get angry, speaking from the heart,” he said. “We have to dig in and play with desperation. Otherwise, we’ll be regretting it in a week.”

The Ducks are trying to summon the determination and discipline--not to mention the defense--that got them to the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first place.

“Down the stretch this season, we played like every game was a must-win, but we haven’t played that way the last three,” left wing Paul Kariya said.

“It’s almost like we need that kind of pressure. We felt like it was do or die many times when it actually wasn’t. Now it is do or die.”

Goalie Guy Hebert agreed.

“This is more what we’re used to,” Hebert said. “Maybe we had too much room--too comfortable a position, like, if we split, it’s OK. Now there’s pressure. Hopefully, we’ll respond the way we have all year.”

Phoenix is just as determined to close out the series as the Ducks are to extend it to a seventh game Tuesday at the Pond.

“We have to have the killer instinct now,” winger Jeremy Roenick said. “You have to finish off teams. You don’t want to prolong the agony of them and ourselves both.”

There has been plenty of agony in the playoff history of the Phoenix franchise, located in Winnipeg until this season. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since 1987, and has won only two of 13 since joining the NHL in 1979.

“If we lose this series, it’s going to be the biggest disappointment you could ever imagine,” said winger Keith Tkachuk, who led the NHL with 52 goals and has five in five playoff games, tying a franchise record.

The Coyotes have two chances to eliminate the Ducks, but it isn’t hard to find examples of teams that have come back to win after trailing, 3-2--at least one team has in each of the past 10 years and 34% of teams in that situation go on to win their series.

Wilson was an assistant coach on the 1992 Vancouver team that came from even further back, beating Winnipeg after trailing, 3-1, and his American team survived two elimination games during the World Cup last fall.

“All it does is convince you that you can win,” Wilson said. “There are different circumstances, different times, different players.”

The common theme?

“You’d be surprised what happens when you’re written off.”

The Ducks’ strategy today is simple: Defense first, and hold the fort early. (Phoenix is 25-0-1 when leading after one period.)

“They’re going to come out emotional, and their crowd will really support them,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to bend, but don’t break the first 10 minutes. We’ve got to make sure that they can’t gain momentum in the first period.”

The teams will match strength against strength.

That means Kariya, Teemu Selanne and Steve Rucchin will play together more often than not, and Phoenix defenseman Teppo Numminen will be on the ice with them, more often than not. Same for the checking line of Darrin Shannon, Bob Corkum and Roenick.

“We’ve just realized the last few games we’ve gotten away from our game and the way we’ve got to play to be successful,” said Kariya, who has one goal in the past four games after scoring two in Game 1. “Our line especially just tried to run and gun with them and play a more offensive style. We have to play defense, be patient, and capitalize on turnovers.”

With five games behind him, Kariya believes one of the biggest adjustments has been for the players who had no postseason experience in the NHL, himself included.

“You don’t come in and know what it takes at playoff time right off the bat,” he said. “You need some bad things to happen to make you better. . . . You don’t just learn from success. You learn from failure.”

No one on either team has played in more postseason games than Jari Kurri, who has been on five Stanley Cup winners in 13 playoff appearances.

“You’ve got to go into [an elimination game] calm,” Kurri said. “You can’t get over-energized and try to do somebody else’s job. You do your own job.

“In three days, it can turn around. Everybody seems to be writing us off. We don’t have that feeling. They still have to win another game, and the final one is going to be tough. We know that.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

Ducks vs. Coyotes

* Site: America West

Arena

* Time: noon

* TV: Channel 11

SATURDAY’S GAMES

* Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 3

* New Jersey 4, Montreal 0

* Colorado 6, Chicago 3

* Roundup, C12