Hard Hits Have No Impact on Kariya

Paul Kariya took a hit and kept skating Sunday. He also fired nine shots on goal, scored once and had an assist in the Ducks’ 4-2 exhibition victory Sunday over the Calgary Flames at the Arrowhead Pond.

“I’m glad that’s over,” Kariya said after his first game since being knocked out for the final 28 games of last season because of post-concussion syndrome.

Neither Kariya nor his teammates could be blamed for letting out a collective sigh of relief after Sunday’s game.

“I took some pretty good shots to the head,” said Kariya, who last appeared in a game Feb. 1, when Gary Suter leveled him with a cross check to the jaw. “There’s some extra confidence or extra reinforcement now that everything is fine.”

Certainly, there was some cause for concern after Calgary defenseman Sami Helenius belted Kariya in the head as the Duck left wing attempted to shoot from point-blank range early in the game.

But Kariya merely bounced back on his skates and kept moving. If anything, the hit seemed to get him more involved in the game.

“I didn’t have any jump at first, but I felt better as the game went on,” Kariya said. “I just tried to let it flow.”

Kariya assisted on Josef Marha’s power-play goal at 10 minutes 43 seconds of the second period, then added an empty-net goal with 51 seconds left in the game.