Ducks Singing Detroit Blues

Setting goals is wonderful and so maybe it isn’t surprising that once the Mighty Ducks clinched the NHL playoff spot that might have seemed so unexpected last October, they set another goal.

During the five-game trip that concluded last week with a dispiriting loss in Dallas, Teemu Selanne had been quite adamant about what it was the Ducks needed to do in the last few games of the regular season.

They needed, he said, to make sure to finish fifth in the overall standings so that they could play Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs instead of the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

And to be fair, Selanne has not been the only Duck to say that and certainly most of Anaheim’s fans are hoping that.

But here’s the thing. It’s OK for the fans to talk about, but don’t you think it would be better if the players did not even think such a thing?

As the Ducks hosted St. Louis Wednesday night and as the Blues came to Anaheim only a point behind the Ducks which meant that, yes, a loss would put the Ducks in sixth place instead of fifth with two regular season games to go, there has been too much emphasis on Phoenix. And not enough on the play of the Ducks.

Maybe it would be great to play Phoenix. Yes, the Ducks dominated this season’s series, winning three times, losing once (1-0), tying twice. Yes, it was the Coyotes that the Ducks upset in the playoffs two years ago. Certainly, the travel would be less draining going from Anaheim to Phoenix instead of two-thirds of the way across the country to Detroit.

And, yes, the Ducks were 1-3 against the Red Wings this season. OK, in the history of the Anaheim hockey world, the Ducks are 1-18-5 against the Red Wings. Not a good thing. So, if it seems a hopeless assignment, the Ducks beating Detroit in a best-of-seven series, fine. Fine for the radio talk show hosts to discuss. Fine for you Ducks fans to wring your hands in horror at the thought of watching your guys play the two-time defending champions.

The Ducks, though, shouldn’t ever think those thoughts and absolutely they shouldn’t ever speak those thoughts.

The Ducks should say out loud, and believe in their hearts, that it doesn’t matter. Phoenix, Detroit, who cares? What will matter only is how the Ducks play. What matters is that the Ducks think, feel, are convinced with every bit of their beings, that if they play well they can beat anybody.

There’s a reason that cliches are cliches. Mostly that reason is that the cliches are true. Taking games one at a time, playing day by day, etc., etc., that’s a good thing. It’s not a good thing to have set a goal of playing Phoenix. Because when that goal was set, the Ducks were eight, nine points ahead of St. Louis. It seemed a slam dunk certain goal. Now the Ducks are a point behind St. Louis. Yep, the Ducks lost, 3-1.

With two games left for the Ducks--at the Kings Thursday night, at San Jose Sunday--the only goal should be to play well. Playing well and losing on some fluke in overtime, that shouldn’t be a bad thing. St. Louis plays at Phoenix and at Los Angeles. Nothing the Ducks can do about those games. They no longer control their fate, if their only fate is to play Phoenix.

It was not horrible, the way the Ducks lost to the Blues.

The Ducks had chances, chances, more chances, good chances, better chances, great chances to score goals, lots of goals. They didn’t. But this shouldn’t be a discouraging loss. It shouldn’t be devastating in the minds of any Mighty Duck player.

Unless the players truly believe that playing Phoenix is the be-all and end-all. Unless the players truly believe that playing Detroit is the worst thing in the world.

Maybe that’s the truth. Maybe, probably even, the Ducks will get beat by the Red Wings, swept by the Red Wings. Maybe, probably even, the Ducks have a great chance of beating Phoenix and building up momentum and making a wonderful, magical run deep into the playoffs.

Or, maybe the Coyotes will have listened to the Ducks talk about how much they’d rather play them. Maybe the Coyotes would be very eager to prove a point. And maybe the Red Wings will be unable to pay serious attention to these Ducks who have only beaten them once. Maybe there’s no way the Red Wings can do anything but think about future series with Dallas or Colorado.

Listen to Coach Craig Hartsburg after the game.

“We don’t fear anybody,” Hartsburg said. “We respect all the teams in this league. But we’ll be ready for whoever we play.”

That’s the spirit. Believe it or not.

Diane Pucin can be reached at her e-mail address: diane.pucin@latimes.com