Mighty Ducks Are Missing Much More Than Kariya

The Mighty Ducks’ games against the Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings this week were a chance--for two nights at least--to relive some of the most exciting times in the franchise’s young history. Even if some of the key players were missing (like holdouts Paul Kariya of the Ducks, Sergei Fedorov of Detroit and Oleg Tverdovsky of Phoenix), at least the uniforms were the same from last season’s playoffs, when the Ducks beat the Coyotes and put a scare into the Red Wings.

Wednesday night only made those playoffs seem so long ago. No playoff atmosphere from the crowd at the Pond and no semblance of playoff intensity from the Ducks in their 4-1 loss to Detroit.

Couldn’t the Ducks at least take the Red Wings to overtime, just for old time’s sake?

This was Tomas Sandstrom’s opportunity to see this matchup from the other side, and you could forgive him if he wanted to change to his old sweater between periods.

The Ducks signed the free agent Sandstrom from the champions with the hope that he could bring some of the Stanley Cup-winning formula to Anaheim. As Sandstrom must be learning quickly, winning isn’t something you can simply import. It’s a system and a belief and an attitude that becomes greater than its parts. That’s why the Red Wings are winning this season even without Fedorov, the team’s second-leading goal scorer last season.

“I think we’ve just got to work a lot harder every night,” Sandstrom said. “They outworked us, outplayed us tonight. That’s why they make [the season] 82 games.”

Asked what his experience can add, Sandstrom said, “What I can bring is hard work. That’s what we all have to do.”

Sorry, but it shouldn’t take the advice of a 14-year veteran for a team to work hard. That’s basic hockey.

Sandstrom tried to bring the right attitude into the game. In the first period, Sandstrom’s persistence in chasing the puck almost turned a casual dump into Detroit’s zone into a scoring opportunity. He also crunched Darren McCarty into the glass.

At first, it seemed like Sandstrom’s new teammates were prepared to follow his lead.

The Ducks have finally discovered a great way to get Teemu Selanne some goals: find him when he’s wide open next to the net. Sean Pronger did it with a cross-ice pass on the fly Tuesday night, and J.J. Daigneault did it by threading a pass through Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom’s legs to Selanne on the left side of the crease Wednesday for the first goal of the game.

But the Ducks reverted to the inconsistency that has plagued them throughout the season. How could they look so dreadful Sunday against the Islanders, play such an all-around and entertaining game against the Coyotes, then bobble away all of their momentum against Detroit?

Warren Rychel, Mark Janssens and Brent Severyn played a Keystone Kops shift, bumping into each other, knocking each other down and showing a complete inability to clear the puck from their zone that ultimately led to a Red Wing goal.

The Red Wings spent the night frolicking in Anaheim’s zone, as if they had been given a two-week visa to stay there. The final shot tally of 42-21 doesn’t even begin to show the disparity. The Ducks should only be thankful that the NHL doesn’t keep time of possession statistics, the way football does.

It’s obvious the Ducks have a lot to learn about winning, and there’s no way Sandstrom can teach them all by himself. Espen Knutsen has some nice instincts, but at times he forgets that the object is to pass the puck to your teammates, not just the nearest guy with a stick in his hands.

Passing appeared to be a lost art after the first few minutes. The Ducks sent passes off skates, they sent passes to no one, they sent dangerous passes across the ice that were easily intercepted.

But the most frustrating thing about watching the Ducks is their inconsistency, from game to game and now minute to minute.

It’s hard to believe the Ducks could lose the edge so soon after they scored the first goal, which is so often a foreshadowing of who will win the game.

General Manager Jack Ferreira has bought ties recently when he’s frustrated, as with the lack of progress in the Kariya “negotiations.” The way things are going, he should have quite a collection by the end of the season.

It might be hard to believe, but the Ducks’ 3-3-2 record in their first eight games was their best start that far into the season. It sure didn’t seem like much to celebrate. Game 9 on Wednesday quickly erased the good feelings generated by the victory in Phoenix. And it made the playoffs look like a distant memory. Or maybe an out-of-reach goal.