Trio Exceeding Expectations

Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg, at the season’s midpoint, acknowledged he has had quite a few pleasant surprises.

“Paul? Teemu?” he said, only half-joking about the first-half exploits of all-star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, who went into Wednesday’s game first and seventh in NHL scoring.

“Coming into training camp, I didn’t know Johan Davidsson, I didn’t know Antti Aalto and I saw Matt Cullen only at the end of last season,” Hartsburg said in a more serious tone.

“We never figured they would be here. They haven’t let up. They’ve been solid for us. Those guys plugged some holes. They also pushed some guys like [Frank] Banham and [Mike] Leclerc out of jobs.”

Banham and Leclerc are stuck in the minors this season. Davidsson, Aalto and Cullen formed the Ducks’ third line Wednesday against the Flames.

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Davidsson, out with a sprained right ankle, rejoined the Duck lineup, replacing Jim McKenzie, who suffered a cut above his right eye Sunday. . . . The return of defenseman Jamie Pushor, out for two games because of a scratched left cornea, pushed Pascal Trepanier out of the lineup Wednesday. It was a tough call for Hartsburg, but he simply had nowhere to put Trepanier.