Ducks Deal Chicago Another Pounding

If, as Coach Craig Hartsburg demanded, the Ducks had to have their best effort of a home stand Sunday, then they couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.

Enter the Chicago Blackhawks, fresh from a shellacking by the Kings Saturday and the not-so-proud co-owners of the lowest point total in the NHL. A tired, bad hockey team was just the thing to send the Ducks off on a six-game trip with some bounce.

The Ducks cruised to a 4-1 victory before an announced crowd of 16,423 in the Pond, with the Blackhawks playing the perfect patsy, right down to losing three fights without not so much as a split decision.

“This should send us out with some confidence,” said Hartsburg, whose team won for the fifth time in their last seven games. “We can go out on the road for 10 days and maybe come back with some wins.

“It wasn’t a classic, but we played the type of simple game we need to do.”

He was talking about the Ducks dump-and-chase-and-grind style. But in reality, this one couldn’t have been much easier.

Simple? The Ducks demolished the Blackhawks without Teemu Selanne, who warmed up before he game, but decided his strained right thigh hadn’t healed enough, and Travis Green, who was out with a injured left knee.

Simple? Try Stu Grimson standing alone some 15 feet from the net. He took Ted Drury’s pass and whipped in his third goal of the season--his career high--to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead 2 minutes 27 seconds into the second period.

Simple? Like when Antti Aalto stepped out of the penalty box, caught Fredrik Olausson’s pass, then blasted a shot past goalie Mark Fitzpatrick for a 4-0 lead.

The Blackhawks were reeling and grasping at anything. Steve Rucchin beat Fitzpatrick in the third period, bouncing a puck off his pad just over the goal line. Fitzpatrick lay there and tried to push the puck out with his pad. Referees, at first, waved off the goal.

“I saw what he did,” Rucchin said. “I just hoped they saw it on the replay.”

They did and it was yet another Blackhawk defeat. They are 1-9-2 in their last 12 games.

“Coach keeps telling us, ‘If a team is in a slump, let them get out of it against someone else,’ ” said Duck goalie Guy Hebert, who stopped 26 of 27 shots.

After a ragged first period, the Ducks didn’t let the Blackhawks up. Jeff Nielsen’s hard work in the corner paid off in the second period. He beat Trent Yawney to the puck and kicked it out to Drury, who found Grimson floating in from the blue line.

“I had enough time to look around and say, ‘What are you guys doing?’ ” Grimson said. “I think they got mesmerized by the guys down low or something. All I know is I had all the time in the world to cradle Ted’s pass.”

It was the 12th goal of Grimson’s nine-year career and it seemed to loosen up the Ducks, who dominated from then on in all areas.

“You don’t expect Stu to snap up many like that,” said Paul Kariya, who had two assists. “But he has good hands and a great shot.”

Sure, but usually in the clinches.

Grimson was back to his usual chore later in the period. With the Ducks leading, 2-0, Blackhawk defenseman Brad Brown tried to get physical. Grimson pummeled him to the ice. It was the start of a long night for Brown, who next tried Jim McKenzie, the Ducks’ other enforcer. McKenzie landed several punches to Brown’s face.

It didn’t end there. The Blackhawks, who had 11 third-period penalties against the Kings, continued to vent their frustration any way they could. It cost Chicago defenseman Ethan Moreau. He not only was punched to the ice by defenseman Jason Marshall, but was hit with a game misconduct.

“Everyone on this team has a role,” Kariya said.

Kariya and McInnis stuck to theirs. They hooked up on a power play, with McInnis scoring his sixth goal to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead at 5:34 of the second period.

“It’s good to end the home stand on a positive note,” Kariya said. “It’s a matter of hammering things into our head. Sooner or later, we will be a good team.”