It’s Like Beef and Wheat to Page

Coach Pierre Page said the Duck power play has struggled so much in the past few games because the penalty kill has improved so dramatically.

In the past six games, the Ducks have scored only one power-play goal in 25 chances with the man advantage. The penalty kill has been successful in 37 of the past 38 short-handed situations.

“The penalty kill has been a high, high priority since the Calgary game [a 5-1 victory Dec. 22],” Page said. ‘We found out we were playing the same guys so much on the penalty kill that the power play went down. It’s like beef and wheat. When the beef price goes up, the wheat price goes down. They’re never up together at the same time.”

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Page said General Manager Jack Ferreira made a determined pitch for defenseman Roman Hamrlik, but Tampa Bay General Manager Phil Esposito never returned his calls.

Esposito instead sent Hamrlik to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Bryan Marchment, Steve Kelly and Jason Bonsignore on Dec. 30.

“This one was a weird deal,” Page said. “Lots of teams would have taken [Hamrlik], but he wasn’t shopped around.”

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Enforcer Brent Severyn, scratched Friday against the Oilers after playing in three consecutive games, offered a different perspective on being benched.

“It’s hot dogs and nachos in the press box tonight for me,” he joked. Then, in a more serious tone, he added:

“Look, you can take it two ways. You can accept it and work harder to get back in there. Or you can . . . moan and complain. I’m just going to work harder when I do sit out, so I can get back in there.”

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Asked if he was starting in goal, Guy Hebert chuckled and said, “Yeah, but keep an eye on me.”

Hebert suffered a mild concussion in the first period of Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Buffalo. He left the game after the second period after feeling “foggy.”