Everything’s Ducky

Well, it certainly was electric Friday night at the Pond. Instead of anger there were smiles. Instead of jeers there were cheers. Instead of flubbed scoring chances there were Mighty Duck goals in a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory over the Washington Capitals.

A roaring sellout crowd of 17,174 had waited since May to watch Paul Kariya work his magic again for the Ducks. They were impatient, to be sure, as his contract stalemate dragged on and on.

Ultimately, they and the Ducks were richly rewarded as Kariya scored two goals and assisted on two others in a memorable 1997-98 debut that also featured the return of former coach Ron Wilson.

Teemu Selanne’s goal with 43 seconds left in regulation was the game-winner and enabled the Ducks to complete a rally from a three-goal deficit. Kariya’s empty-net goal with eight seconds left merely provided the capper to a nearly perfect night for the Ducks.

Now, imagine if he gets in a few practices.

After only two workouts with his teammates after signing a two-year, $14-million contract Thursday, he still was easily the best player on the ice.

Kariya didn’t score or assist on all of the Ducks’ goals, but he was on the ice for all six of them. And his impact went beyond mere numbers on the scoresheet.

He created opportunities for linemates Selanne and Steve Rucchin simply by being on the ice. No longer, will the opposition be able to focus their defensive efforts on Selanne alone.

In the end, the Ducks seemed faster and more determined than in the past. Again and again, they drove at the Washington net in the final minutes of regulation play in search of the winning goal.

Selanne, who scored his league-leading 25th and 26th goals, finally came up with the clincher in the final minute of regulation.

The finish came in stark contrast to the beginning.

Whatever emotional burst Kariya had given the Ducks in the game’s first few minutes was soon gone as the Capitals seized a 3-0 lead with 4:12 left in the first period.

One Washington goal was deflected past goalie Guy Hebert. Another came off a defensive mistake. And the third came with the Ducks short-handed.

It was a familiar story.

Joe Juneau, Kelly Miller and Sylvain Cote scored Washington’s first three goals. But instead of folding, the Ducks rallied impressively.

Down, 3-1, to start the second period, they jolted the Capitals with three goals on 21 shots on net.

Rucchin scored 2:45 into the period, lifting a backhander past Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig. Selanne appeared to be in the crease as Kolzig fumbled Rucchin’s shot into the net, but after a lengthy review by video goal judge Tom Wardell, the goal stood.

The Ducks’ momentum was halted briefly after defenseman Jason Marshall took a holding penalty, then compounded his mistake by picking up an unsportsmanlike conduct minor.

Sergei Gonchar’s wrist shot from the right point might not have broken a pane of glass, but Hebert was screened on the play and the puck hit the back of the net at 8:21.

Defenseman J.J. Daigneault trimmed the lead to 4-3 at 13:31, putting a shot similar to Gonchar’s past Kolzig.

Kariya then sent the crowd into a frenzy with a brilliant individual play that produced the tying goal only 1:17 later.

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Kariya Power

How much did the Ducks miss Paul Kariya? Check these numbers before his return Friday, when he had two goals and two assists in a 6-4 victory, the first time the Ducks topped five goals this season:

GAMES: 32

GOALS PER GAME: 2.18

FOUR-GOAL GAMES: 4

FIVE-GOAL GAMES: 1