Hartsburg Sticks With Same Lineup

Coach Craig Hartsburg isn’t one to mess with success, which explains why he didn’t change his lineup Friday in the wake of Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

The Ducks called up left wing Mike Leclerc from Cincinnati of the American Hockey League to bolster their depth after center Johan Davidsson was sent to the minors earlier in the week.

Hartsburg did not have an extra forward Wednesday in case of injury after Davidsson’s departure to Cincinnati.

But Leclerc did not play Friday against the San Jose Sharks, joining defensemen Jamie Pushor (bruised left shoulder) and Dan Trebil (coach’s decision) as the Ducks’ scratches.

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The Ducks’ sellout crowd of 17,174 Friday was only their fifth this season, breaking a trend of recent crowds in the range of 15,000 to 16,000. But Pierre Gauthier, team president and general manager, expects attendance to increase.

“Advance sales are strong,” he said. “That’s very important. The fans are like the seventh player.”

TONIGHT at San Jose

7:30, Channel 9

* Site--San Jose Arena.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 26-25-9, Sharks 20-26-14.

* Record vs. Sharks--2-0-1.

* Update--The Ducks and Sharks hadn’t played against each other for more than two months, but tonight is their second game in as many nights. The Ducks have won six of their last seven road games, bringing their record away from the Arrowhead Pond to a credible 11-14-5. The Ducks went into Friday’s game against the Sharks with the league’s best power play, scoring on 61 of 285 chances (21.4%) with the man advantage. The Ducks were 24th in the league last season, converting on 46 of 392 power-play opportunities (11.7%).