Stevenson a Bit Punchy Already

Left wing Jeremy Stevenson, recalled Thursday from minor league affiliate Cincinnati, didn’t even smile when goalie Guy Hebert answered a question for him.

“Score a lot of goals,” Hebert said. “That’s why he’s here.”

Stevenson, 23, had five goals in 10 games at Cincinnati but he also had 34 penalty minutes. And he seems to have a very clear picture of his role with the Ducks.

“I want to make sure nobody messes with Teemu [Selanne],” he said. “If I have to fight, I’ll fight. We’ll be sending a little message that nobody can mess with our No. 1 guy.”

*

Hebert, acquired from St. Louis in the 1993 expansion draft, isn’t worried the Ducks will be facing one of the NHL’s best home teams tonight. The Blues are 10-3-1 in the Kiel Center.

“We’ve been playing much better on the road than at home and we’ve always done well in St. Louis,” he said. “We just need to keep working hard and we’ll be fine.”

TONIGHT

at

St. Louis

* 5:30

Site--Kiel Center, St. Louis

Radio--KRLA (1110), KPLS (830), KCKC (1350)

Records--Ducks 8-10-5, Blues 15-6-2

Record vs. Blues (1996-97)--1-2-1

Update--The Ducks are 5-2-2 in their last nine road games, but they’re 0-5-1 in their last six games. Selanne, who leads the league with 20 goals, hasn’t scored in a week. Goaltender Grant Fuhr ripped his teammates for coasting Thursday after a 3-0 Edmonton victory ended a four-game St. Louis winning streak. “We’re fooling ourselves if we think we’re working hard,” he said. Just what the Ducks need, a fired-up version of a team with the second-best record in the NHL.