Ducks’ Romp Is Almost Perfect

Drama? Suspense? In a 6-1 Mighty Duck rout Wednesday over the expansion Nashville Predators at the Arrowhead Pond?

No kidding.

There was one good reason for the announced crowd of 14,222 to stick around after the Ducks put the game away with a back-breaking four-goal second period.

The only suspense after the Ducks built a six-goal lead going into the third period was whether goaltender Guy Hebert would record his third consecutive shutout.

No laughing, please.

Nashville is indeed a legitimate member of the NHL, albeit one with two rookie goalies with six games of experience between them. This one counted just as much as shutouts Sunday against the Kings and Friday against the Washington Capitals.

So what if the Ducks swatted the Predators aside in a determined offensive showing that might have actually made up for an embarassing, 3-1, loss Nov. 27 at Nashville?

There was still the very serious matter of extending Hebert’s shutout streak to three games. The Ducks failed by a mere 4 minutes 6 seconds, but still managed to extend their unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1).

Hebert stopped all but one of the 38 shots he faced. Nashville’s Denny Lambert, a former Duck, swatted a rebound into the net at 15:54 of the third period to ruin Hebert’s shutout bid.

What remained of the crowd gave Hebert a standing ovation after his streak ended at a personal- and franchise-record 191:47.

The Ducks certainly gave Hebert plenty of offensive support, turning the game into a runaway in the second period.

They led, 2-0, after the first period and by 6-0 after the second.

Four of the first five goals were on the power play, which tied a team record set last Dec. 27 against the St. Louis Blues.

Jamie Pushor got the rout started 3:15 into the game, flipping a backhander past Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun, playing only his sixth NHL game.

It was Pushor’s first goal as a Duck and first since last March 23, when he scored for the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit traded Pushor to Anaheim the next day and went without a goal for his first 38 games as a Duck.

Teemu Selanne then scored the first of four consecutive Duck power-play goals, converting on a backhander at 6:11 of the first period.

Paul Kariya assisted on all four second-period goals, setting up Selanne once, Steve Rucchin once and Travis Green twice. Kariya tied his team record for points in a period and also set a franchise record for the most assists in a period.

All of which overshadowed two significant losses Wednesday for the Ducks.

First, left wing Marty McInnis left the game early in the first period after he was struck by a puck. He did not require stitches, but did not return to the game.

Then, rookie center Johan Davidsson left the game because of illness and also did not return to action.

Their status for Friday’s game against the Islanders was not immediately certain.

The Ducks also played without rookie forward Antti Aalto, who injured his left shoulder Sunday, when Jozef Stumpel of the Kings hit him from behind.

“It just pulled the muscle a little bit,” Aalto said at the morning skate. “I rested [Tuesday and Wednesday] and, hopefully, I can play in the next game.”

In the end, the absences served to level the ice only a bit against the Predators. There was a significant difference between Wednesday and the earlier game in Nashville, however.

Instead of facing a seasoned NHL goalie, as they had when Mike Dunham defeated him last month, the Ducks faced Vokoun.

Dunham was sidelined by a groin strain for the fifth consecutive game, which begged this question: Who the heck is Tomas Vokoun?

“All we know is that he’s a Francois Allaire protege,” Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg said, referring to the team’s goaltending consultant who has worked with a number of young French-Canadian goalies.

The Ducks’ four-goal second period brought a goalie change to start the third period for Nashville. Chris Mason, a former Duck minor-leaguer, made his NHL debut in relief of Vokoun.