Kariya Puts on Show as Ducks Win

Mighty Duck captain Paul Kariya electrified General Motors Place on Saturday night, bringing a sellout crowd in his hometown to its feet after converting a second-period penalty shot.

He also hushed the same 18,422 fans after crashing heavily into the boards, striking his butt and lower back, but not his head, in the first minute of the third period.

After a few minutes to gather himself, Kariya skated to the bench and wound up playing a regular shift in the Ducks’ 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

If there are any fans in the NHL who followed Kariya’s struggles last season with post-concussion syndrome as closely as Duck fans, they are Vancouver fans. They cheered his penalty shot and gave him a rousing ovation after he was taken into the boards by Vancouver defenseman Adrian Aucoin.

“I didn’t want to go into the boards head first, so I kind of turned and caught my tailbone square on the boards,” said Kariya, who assisted on Marty McInnis’ power-play goal that gave the Ducks a 5-1 lead at 5:40 of the third period.

“It feels fine. I’ve got a lot of padding there.”

Kariya said his head never hit the boards.

“No, my head is fine,” Kariya said. “There have been a couple of times [this season] that I’ve been cross-checked in the head where I’ve felt worse.”

Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg probably put it best at game’s end, however.

“I guess everybody held their breath there for a couple of minutes,” Hartsburg said. “Once he got to his feet, I think everyone knew he was going to be OK.”

The same also could be said for the Ducks, who ended a difficult seven-game, 11-day stretch of games with a solid victory Saturday.

Teemu Selanne scored twice, extending his point streak to 10 consecutive games and drawing to within three of 300 goals for his career.

Tomas Sandstrom and Steve Rucchin each had two assists. And goaltender Guy Hebert rebounded from two subpar efforts to make 25 saves. Aucoin’s third-period power-play goal was the only shot the Canucks could get past Hebert.

There was no way the Ducks wanted a repeat of the last two games--a 6-3 loss Friday against the Calgary Flames and a 6-2 defeat Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Certainly, they didn’t want to give up a short-handed goal for the fourth consecutive game.

So, the Ducks played it safe and smart to start the game and they were rewarded with a 1-0 first-period lead. Travis Green ended a 16-game goal-scoring drought after a Vancouver turnover in the neutral zone late in the first period.

The lead grew to 3-0 after Selanne scored the second of his two power-play goals 7:03 into the second period.

Game over?

Not quite. Kariya’s penalty shot was yet to come.

What set up the call was every bit as exciting as the penalty shot itself.

Kariya intercepted a pass in his own zone while the Ducks were short-handed in the final minute of the second period. He failed to control the puck cleanly at first, but managed to punch it ahead after it popped into the air.

Vancouver defenseman Bryan McCabe had no choice but to haul Kariya down and referee Paul Devorski instantly signaled for a penalty shot, the Ducks’ second in a week.

As Sandstrom did Monday against Stephane Fiset of the Kings, Kariya moved in on net and whistled the puck past hopelessly beaten goalie Corey Hirsch.

It was Kariya’s second career penalty shot. He also converted against Florida’s Kevin Weekes last season.

“I wanted to go to his stick side,” Kariya said of his game plan against Hirsch. “He took it away. I waited and waited, so I finally snapped it [through Hirsch’s legs].”