Rivalry Fuels Ducks

Nothing like that wild Coyote logo on the front of Phoenix’s jerseys to get the Mighty Ducks’ blood boiling, their sticks raised higher and their skates moving faster.

So what if the Ducks looked miserable in their last three games and were in danger of falling several spots in the Western Conference standings? The Coyotes were in town Sunday and there was sure to be a rumble.

It took a while, but there were finally a few punches thrown in the Ducks’ 3-0 victory that ended a three-game losing streak before a sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond.

Phoenix captain Keith Tkachuk attempted to impale Duck winger Teemu Selanne in a desperate attempt to thwart a breakaway on an empty net in the final minute.

When that didn’t work and Selanne scored his NHL-leading 46th goal, Tkachuk simply tackled his former Winnipeg teammate. Selanne, giddy after ending a four-game goal-scoring drought, didn’t mind.

Others were outraged and a melee ensued. Tkachuk and Kevin Haller wrestled first before Ducks Ted Drury and Jamie Pushor fought Coyotes Jeremy Roenick and Rick Tocchet.

What, you expected these guys to go quietly for a postgame dinner together?

“I saw him throw the stick,” Duck goalie Guy Hebert said of Tkachuk. “Then I put my head down for a second and I looked up again and there were 11 guys rolling around on the ice.”

If there is any justice in the frozen world of the NHL, these two Sun Belt rivals will meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons.

Sunday’s victory, combined with St. Louis’ 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, vaulted the Ducks past the Blues and into fifth place. The Ducks and Blues play Wednesday at the Pond.

If the Ducks finish fifth, they’ll play the Coyotes. If they finish sixth, they’ll play the Detroit Red Wings. If they’re seventh, they’ll play the Colorado Avalanche.

Guess which team the Ducks would prefer to play?

“It’s really a lot of fun playing [Phoenix],” Hebert said after stopping 40 shots en route to his sixth shutout this season and 22nd of his career. “You’ve got Roenick and Tkachuk talking and laughing at you. You have Dallas Drake running [into] everybody.

“If that doesn’t bring out the best in you, you’re in for a long night.”

The Ducks played with intensity from the start Sunday, looking as prepared as they have been in a long time. They capitalized on a Coyote mistake to score their first goal 3:21 into the game.

Captain Paul Kariya intercepted a poor clearing pass from Phoenix defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky and deposited the puck behind Coyote goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for a 1-0 Duck lead.

It was the Ducks’ first lead since their playoff-clinching, 4-1, victory April 2 over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Sustained pressure midway through the third period then led to Jeff Nielsen’s fifth goal of the season for a 2-0 lead. Selanne added an empty-net goal at 19:12, and then the teams went to war.

“All of the games we’ve had against Phoenix have had fireworks,” said Duck left wing Jim McKenzie, who spent three seasons playing for the Coyotes. “It doesn’t take long to get sick of the other team’s colors. It doesn’t matter who’s wearing the jersey. It’s the jersey itself.”

The Ducks apparently see the Coyote jersey the same way a bull sees a red flag. The results are often combustible, which bodes well for a possible first-round match between the Ducks and Coyotes.

“Everything starts when you’re excited to play,” Selanne said. “The last two or three games, we were not excited to play. But the game was scheduled, so we showed up.”

Sunday, the Ducks showed up.

Said Coach Craig Hartsburg: “Our emotion was back. Our guys get in these tough emotional games and they just play harder.”

And better.