Ducks Can’t Stop Sabres’ Goal Rush

It happened swiftly and certainly. The Buffalo Sabres scored twice in 41 seconds late in the third period, erased a Mighty Duck lead and went on to win, 3-2, in front of 17,049 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Stunning? Unexpected?

Certainly, on both counts, but the Ducks have become masters at finding new wrinkles to ensure defeats.

“Buffalo found a way to win,” Duck Coach Pierre Page said. “But I thought we played much better hockey.”

Most teams find few surprises when they face the Sabres. The opposition can count on facing superb goaltending and a lunch-bucket style of hockey. The timing of an elbow to the head or a slash across the back are perhaps all that’s unexpected.

Two goals in less than a minute doesn’t normally fit the Sabres’ method of operation. But Curtis Brown and Alexei Zhitnik scored 41 seconds apart to take the Sabres from 2-1 down to 3-2 ahead.

“For sure, we didn’t have too many comebacks like this one this season,” Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek said.

Hasek and Guy Hebert of the Ducks waged a goaltending duel for the game’s first 40 minutes. But both faltered with the scored tied, 1-1, after two periods.

Hasek gave up the go-ahead goal to Ted Drury only 4:55 into the third period and Hebert couldn’t answer the bell to start the final period. And Mikhail Shtalenkov, pressed into service because Hebert left the game with a mild concussion, couldn’t hold the Duck lead.

Hebert stopped 17 of 18 shots, but couldn’t avoid one to the back of his head--an accidental elbow from Brown during a goalmouth scramble at 11:32 of the first period.

He remained in the game through the end of the second period, but spent the third watching Shtalenkov from a seat on the bench.

“You want to make sure you don’t take things for granted,” said Craig Milhouse, Duck team doctor. “We’ll see how he is in the morning, but he looked sick and tired to me.”

Without much warmup, Shtalenkov handled all the Sabres could fire at him until Brown scored at 15:43.

Shtalenkov’s last appearance was a less-than-memorable start Dec. 27 in the Ducks’ 5-5 tie against the St. Louis Blues. He gave up two quick goals and was replaced by Hebert before the end of the first period.

Hebert started his sixth consecutive game Wednesday and looked as sharp as he had in the past five.

“Guy felt weak,” Page said. “He didn’t feel strong enough to finish. He had dizzy spells after he got knocked in the head. And he’s had the flu on top of it.”

The rest of the Ducks looked rather sickly right from the start in their first game since completing their six-game, nine-day trip with a 1-3-2 record. It took 21 shots, but they at last put one behind Hasek.

To be precise, it was actually 50 shots because Hasek shut out the Ducks, 4-0, stopping all 29 shots in the first meeting Dec. 3 at Buffalo.

Paul Kariya’s eighth goal in 12 games enabled the Ducks to tie the Sabres midway through the second period, 1-1. Ted Drury’s fifth goal this season then gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead 4:55 into the third period.

The Sabres came roaring back, though, giving the Ducks another loss at the Pond, where they are 5-12-3 this season.

Nothing clicked for the Ducks as a fast-moving period produced only one noteworthy scoring chance.

Rookie winger Jeff Nielsen, who has given the Ducks a jolt of energy since being recalled Nov. 20 from Cincinnati of the American Hockey League, set up Kevin Todd in front of the net early in the game.

Nielsen intercepted a clearing pass from Hasek, then slipped the puck out to Todd from behind the goal line. Todd couldn’t get good wood on his shot, however.

The game remained scoreless until Buffalo defenseman Mike Wilson intercepted a clearing pass just inside the blue line and beat Hebert with a rising slap shot at 12:59.

Slowly but certainly, the Ducks began to apply the pressure against Hasek. They controlled play for most of the second period, buzzing around the net.

Finally, Kariya scored to tie it at 1-1 after Drury faked out Hasek with a pass through the crease at 13:45 of the second period.

OK, Hasek was fooled by Drury’s initial attempt to pass the puck to Kariya. The puck struck a player’s skate and bounced back to Drury, stationed at the left goal post.

Drury’s second try to pass to Kariya, who was standing alone at the right post, found its target. Kariya merely tapped the puck past a slow-moving Hasek.