Sharks Take Another Bite Out of Ducks, 4-2

The Mighty Ducks lost a two-goal lead, their composure and soon enough their game Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, 4-2. The Ducks might also have lost their best defenseman, Dmitri Mironov, to a suspension.

Mironov received a 10-minute misconduct, a game misconduct and a gross misconduct after an argument with referee Mark Faucette after the Sharks scored the game-tying goal at 6:53 of the second period.

“He was very vulgar in his language,” Faucette said. “He took his stick in protest and slammed it against the boards, and it almost hit an official. It will be reviewed by the league, but it’s not necessarily going to result in a suspension.”

Said Mironov: “He gave me no warning. Just a 10-minute misconduct right away. I got [angry] and started swearing. I just hit the glass with my stick. I was just angry in the heat of the moment.”

TV replays at the end of the second period did not include Mironov’s confrontation with Faucette after San Jose’s Mike Ricci swatted in a rebound in front of the Duck net.

This much is clear: All gross misconducts are subject to a review by the league. Brian Burke, NHL director of hockey operations, will probably be the one to look at the videotape of the incident.

This isn’t the Ducks’ first overzealous brush with an official. Last season, defenseman J.J. Daigneault was suspended 10 games for tripping referee Don Koharski in a Feb. 23 game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Perhaps General Manager Jack Ferreira will be forced to bolster his already thin ranks through a trade. He has done little in recent weeks to upgrade the Duck roster for the stretch run.

True, he pawned off disgruntled veteran defenseman Bobby Dollas on the Edmonton Oilers. But, as team president Tony Tavares said recently, the Ducks could use a playmaking center to join standout wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.

Tavares also would like to see Ferreira trade for an enforcer to better protect Kariya and Selanne from the rough stuff. But the most pressing need appears to be a veteran defenseman to fill in for Mironov, an All-Star selection and the Ducks’ second-leading scorer with 30 points.

Part of the holdup to completing a deal is believed to be a difference in philosophies between Tavares and Ferreira. Tavares apparently is willing to part with a first-round draft pick in order to make a trade, but Ferreira would rather not.

The Ducks needed all the help they could get during their fourth consecutive loss to the Sharks. They started out in strong fashion, but things went south in a hurry in the pivotal second period.

Selanne and Kariya scored first-period goals to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period.

It was Selanne’s sixth goal this season against San Jose and his 28th in 26 career games against the Sharks. Kariya’s goal was his sixth in four games.

But the Ducks got little else against San Jose goaltender Mike Vernon, who is 12-4-3 lifetime against them.

Former Duck defenseman Bill Houlder got the San Jose rally started, scoring on a shot through traffic from the left point at 4:52 of the second period. Ricci then scored a power-play goal after Faucette whistled Duck center Mark Janssens for interference with Owen Nolan.

Mironov appeared to be calling for Faucette to ask for help from the video goal judge after the goal. Faucette did not consult video goal judge Mike Shanley, however.

Replays available to reporters in the press box clearly showed Ricci was outside the crease and did not have his stick raised above his shoulder when he batted the puck into the net.

Stephane Matteau then scored the go-ahead goal at 18:34, on a shot from the left faceoff circle that backup goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov might have handled on a better night.

Rookie Marco Sturm scored the Sharks’ fourth goal midway through the third period.

Unlike Saturday’s 3-3 tie against the Kings, the Ducks would not rally with two third-period goals. Any momentum from that game, their three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) and an early two-goal lead Tuesday evaporated quickly in the second period.