Without Their Wings, Ducks Plunge to Defeat

You could see this one coming from a thousand miles away. Or roughly the distance separating the Mighty Ducks and their top two players Wednesday.

Instead of working their offensive magic against the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place, injured wingers Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya were at home in Orange County.

They missed a 5-2 loss to the Canucks, the NHL’s worst defensive team.

Selanne couldn’t play because of a strained stomach muscle suffered last week at the Olympics. Kariya has sidelined by post-concussion syndrome since Feb. 1.

It was the first time since the Ducks acquired Selanne two years ago, they had been without both players.

Not surprisingly, no Selanne and no Kariya added up to no offense.

Well, very little anyway.

Defenseman David Karpa and tough guy Peter LeBoutillier answered the burning pregame question: Who could score for the Ducks?

Karpa accepted a second-period drop pass from right wing Scott Young on a two-on-one rush and beat Vancouver goaltender Arturs Irbe with a quick shot from the high slot for his first goal of the season.

LeBoutillier swatted home a third-period rebound.

“Defense is our No. 1 priority right now,” Coach Pierre Page said.

But it was no bargain either.

Duck goalie Guy Hebert was shaky at best, having not played in a game since a 5-2 loss Feb. 7 to the Kings in the final game before the 17-day Olympic break. He didn’t play for Team USA in Nagano and his rustiness was evident.

Hebert gave up a goal 1:23 into the game, and perhaps if he had been sharper the Ducks might have had a better chance to stick with the Canucks. Then again, one look at the Duck lineup and it’s easy to say that winning was merely wishful thinking.

Not only were the Ducks without Selanne--the NHL’s leading scorer at the break with 41 goals and 68 points--and Kariya, they also were missing:

Newly acquired center Travis Green, who has 15 goals but is sidelined by a groin injury; defenseman Drew Bannister, who injured his buttocks and could not play; and enforcer Brent Severyn, serving a two-game suspension for drawing too many fighting instigator penalties.

Vancouver played without right wing Alexander Mogilny, who injured a chest muscle at the end of practice Tuesday. It hardly seemed to matter, however.

A makeshift lineup that including minor-leaguers LeBoutillier, Barry Nieckar, Pavel Trnka and Tony Tuzzolino couldn’t make much of dent against the Canucks.

And it’s not going to get any better Friday when the Ducks play the Edmonton Oilers.

“You’re going to have injuries, but you’ve got to regroup and go with what you’ve got,” said Karpa, who played in his 300th NHL game. “There was a good feeling in the dressing room tonight.”

But the Ducks certainly didn’t help themselves, taking penalties at breakneck speed to ensure the last-place Canucks had numerous point-blank shots against Hebert.

By game’s end, the Canucks had scored on three of 10 power-play opportunities. The Ducks, who aren’t a good power-play team even with Kariya and Selanne, failed to convert on six chances with the man advantage.

The NHL’s new get-tough policy on curbing interference went into effect Wednesday. It’s designed to help teams with skilled players such as Kariya and Selanne. But it wound up costing the Ducks against the Canucks.

“We showed the players the tape,” Page said of a videotape sent to each team by the league that demonstrates the new rules. “We talked about it before the game and during each intermission. The new rules are in effect and we’re totally in favor of them. Unfortunately, Paul and Teemu were not here to take advantage of them.”

The Canucks scored an even-strength goal 1:23 into the game, then added two power-play goals to build what appeared to be a commanding, 3-1, lead going into the third period.

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund, a top rookie-of-the-year candidate, scored the Canucks’ first goal. Brad May, Peter Zezel, Markus Naslund and Jyrki Lumme also scored for Vancouver.