Page Is Trying to Play It Cool

Coach Pierre Page bristled when asked whether the Ducks’ season was salvageable and if they could duplicate last season’s late run to secure a Stanley Cup playoff berth.

“Sure, we’re [eight] points behind Chicago [tonight’s opponent] and this is a four-point game, but I’ve had teams 14 points behind at this point in the season and made it up,” Page said. “We’ve got to get cool. We don’t have to worry about getting hot. We’ve just got to get cool.”

He also seemed tired of questions about why this Duck team hasn’t lived up to the expectations created by last season’s appearance in the second round of the playoffs.

“I wasn’t here last year,” he said. “To hell with last year. Or last week. It’s not like this season is not salvageable. Let’s just wake up.”

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Expect Page to break up his top line of Paul Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne tonight if Blackhawk defenseman Chris Chelios sticks to his usual method of operation.

Chelios normally targets Kariya for physical abuse, knowing it will knock him off his game. Chelios also knows the Ducks probably won’t retaliate and that their power play won’t hurt the Blackhawks if he draws a penalty.

Page put tough guy Brent Severyn with Kariya and Rucchin to act as policeman Wednesday against the Calgary Flames. It didn’t seem to help much since Kariya was ejected for spearing Ed Ward of the Flames in the third period of the Ducks’ 5-2 loss.

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Page is concerned about the Ducks’ lack of composure in recent games. Kariya, against Calgary, and defenseman Dmitri Mironov, in a 4-2 loss to San Jose, picked up game-misconduct penalties.

“We’re the fourth-most penalized team in the league,” Page said. “I can’t believe we’re the fourth-most physical team in the league.”

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Page apparently is sticking to his vow of silence when it comes to personnel matters.

“There’s not a difference of opinion [between the coaching and management staffs],” he said. “I think if I just coach right now, we’ll have a good chance to be successful.”

Asked whether he favors trades to improve his teams over waiting for draft picks to develop, he said:

“Going outside should be a last resort. It means you couldn’t do it internally. How many teams are doing it internally? Fewer and fewer. Some teams can still build through the draft, but not many.”

TONGIHT

vs. Chicago

* 5

* Channel 9

Site--Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Radio--KRLA 1110, KCKC 1350, KPLS 830.

Records--Ducks 17-27-9, Blackhawks 21-22-9.

Record vs. Blackhawks--0-2.

Update--The Blackhawks have seven lifetime shutouts against the Ducks, including two this season. Goaltender Jeff Hackett stopped 27 shots in a 2-0 victory Dec. 28 at Chicago and faced the same number of shots in a 4-0 victory Nov. 19 at Anaheim. Backup Andrei Trefilov started in the Blackhawks’ 3-0 loss Saturday to the Kings and Hackett is expected to start tonight against the Ducks. Hackett earned his fifth shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory Thursday over San Jose. Tonight is the third game of a six-game trip for Chicago leading up to the 17-day Olympic break.