Road Ahead Looks Perilous for Ducks

The Mighty Ducks probably won’t get Paul Kariya back this season. They lost their fans a long time ago.

And any realistic hopes of returning to the playoffs almost certainly slipped away as their losing streak reached six games after a 3-1 loss Wednesday to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So what’s left to play for other than ensuring Teemu Selanne tops the 50-goal mark for the second consecutive season and gets a crack at winning the most-valuable player award?

Apparently not much.

The Ducks, 10 points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for the eighth and final playoff spot and trying desperately to avoid last place in the conference, played without the urgency of a postseason contender.

They were good in spurts, particularly in the first and third periods, but there was not enough sustained excellence to indicate they will soon end their slide.

Selanne scored his NHL-leading 43rd goal in the first period, exciting the announced sellout of 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond. But the Ducks’ poor start in the first 1:37 of the second proved costly. Toronto, last in the Central Division, scored two quick goals and the Ducks could not recover.

They are 2-8 since Kariya suffered a concussion when he was cross-checked in the jaw Feb. 1 by Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Gary Suter.

Next: the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars on Friday and the Pacific Division-leading Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

Losses to those Stanley Cup contenders would extend the Ducks’ losing streak to eight, which would tie the franchise record set in October 1996.

The schedule gets more difficult starting next week, when the Ducks begin a seven-game trip to New Jersey, Philadelphia, Montreal, Ottawa, Chicago, Detroit and Colorado.

See any gimmes among those teams?

Meanwhile back in the front office, it was status quo.

Another day passed with the Ducks failing to make a move to bolster their injury-riddled roster.

Word around the league is that the Maple Leafs are interested in dumping defenseman Mathieu Schneider.

The Ducks could use a player of Schneider’s talents. But if this was his audition for General Manager Jack Ferreira, it went badly. What do the Ducks need with another defenseman who seems determined to spend half the game in the penalty box?

Schneider, who gave Kariya a concussion with a wild elbow to the head in a Nov. 13, 1996, game at the Pond, had a big night in the box Wednesday.

He got two minutes for interference on Selanne in the first period. Two for slashing early in the second and two more for holding a Duck’s stick later in the period.

He also made several poor decisions with the puck that resulted in scoring chances for the Ducks.

But the Maple Leafs managed to take a 2-1 lead into the third period despite Schneider’s lackluster play.

The Maple Leafs were outplayed for long stretches, but held the lead because the Ducks were sleep-skating to open the second period.

First, Toronto captain Mats Sundin scored 16 seconds into the period. Then, left wing Derek King put the Maple Leafs ahead at 1:37. Sundin added an empty-net goal with five seconds left in the game.

Selanne gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with his second goal in as many games. Steve Rucchin, standing alone in the slot, faked out goalie Felix Potvin, then slipped the puck to Selanne at the left goal post.

He couldn’t have missed the open net if he’d tried, and banged home the goal at 14:44.

But the good fortune wouldn’t last.

Actually, the Ducks got more bad news on the medical front before the game. With Kariya and goalie Guy Hebert sidelined indefinitely, add right wing Scott Young to the list of the injured.

Young suffered a corneal abrasion when he was high-sticked late in Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings. His status is day to day.

The Ducks could have used his speed against Toronto. They held a 28-16 advantage in shots on net, but their quality scoring chances were limited to only a handful.