They’re Mighty Tough to Figure

Say this for the Mighty Ducks: they are nearly impossible to figure out.

The Ducks were at it again Thursday at the Joe Louis Arena, adding another chapter to a strange and unpredictable season with a 3-3 tie against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

Road-weary and overmatched right from the start, the Ducks still managed to gain a tie by rallying three times to extend their unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-2).

So a Stanley Cup playoff berth probably slipped from the Ducks’ grasp after a seven-game losing streak earlier this month.

So they still have only one victory in five seasons in Detroit.

So they were playing their sixth road game in nine nights.

So what?

Duck-Red Wing games are almost always tight, hard-fought battles at Joe Louis Arena, and this one was no exception. Including last season’s Western Conference semifinals, five of the last six games in Detroit have gone to overtime.

“I don’t think the guys are very happy with the way things went [recently] and we want to come together and take a shot at it [making the playoffs],” Duck defenseman Jason Marshall said.

Duck goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov stopped 41 shots, bringing to mind his standout performance in Anaheim’s 1-0 overtime victory in Detroit last March and his superb work against the Red Wings in the playoffs after Guy Hebert was injured in Game 2.

Travis Green, J.F. Jomphe and Pavel Trnka scored the Ducks’ goals as they erased three one-goal deficits. Green’s goal was his first since Feb. 7. Jomphe scored his first this season after spending most of it in the minors.

Trnka sent a low missile through traffic to tie the score for good at 6:29 of the third period. Teemu Selanne assisted on the goal, extending his streak of games with at least one point to five (seven goals, three assists).

Marshall, Trnka’s defense partner, played no favorites in pestering Detroit’s top guns. He paid the price when Sergei Fedorov cross-checked him headfirst into the boards in the first period.

Marshall was uninjured, but seemed hellbent to hammer anyone in a Red Wing jersey thereafter. The Ducks said they will send a tape of the hit to the NHL office in hopes of getting supplementary discipline against Fedorov, who was given a five-minute boarding major by referee Stephen Walkom.

“He’s really on the verge,” Coach Pierre Page said of Marshall. “We have to hold him back. He gets so mad. We’ve got to make sure he keeps his poise. He’s the kind of guy who makes life miserable for skilled players. He doesn’t pick and choose. He’s aggressive all the time.”

Page also wondered aloud why he was forced to answer questions about another questionable hit against one of his players.

“There’s no place in the game for this,” Page said. “Why ram someone’s head into the boards? There were a lot of chippy hits in the game, a lot of stick work. I don’t know why. Maybe because they’re fighting for the top record overall and we’re fighting for our lives.”

Marshall said Fedorov’s wasn’t dirty, but it was evident to the sellout crowd of 19,983 that he wasn’t about to let it go without a response.

“It is scary,” he said. “Actually, I’m all right.”

Trnka also took a shot, getting speared in the groin by Kirk Maltby in the third period. It wasn’t as bad as it looked.

“I faked it a little bit, but he hit me pretty hard in the groin,” Trnka said. “But I did fake it a little bit.”

There was nothing phony about Shtalenkov’s performance, however. He gave up one goal in each period, but was sharp again in his 10th consecutive start in relief of the injured Hebert.

“This guy has just been looking for his chance,” Page said of Shtalenkov. “Now, he’s getting his chance. He’s a good goalie. He’s finally showing what he can do.”