Kovalenko Traded by Oilers

The team is struggling, so it pulled off a trade Friday.

The Ducks?

Yes, but only on the first count.

The team in question is the Edmonton Oilers, who were involved in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Oilers play host to the Ducks tonight.

The Oilers sent talented but troubled right wing Andrei Kovalenko to the Flyers, who sent center Alexandre Daigle to the Lightning, which then sent right wing Alex Selivanov to Edmonton.

Kovalenko, who has 13 goals and 14 assists in 43 games, was suspended a game for missing the team’s flight after a Jan. 11 game against the Kings at the Great Western Forum.

He scored the winning goal in the Oilers’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Ducks on Nov. 20 at the Arrowhead Pond.

Selivanov, the son-in-law of former Tampa Bay general manager Phil Esposito, has four goals and 13 assists in 46 games this season.

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The Ducks, 0-3-1 in their last four games, took Friday off.

They were scheduled to practice in Denver, but Coach Craig Hartsburg decided against a workout after the 6-2 thumping the Ducks received Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.

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Rookie forward Antti Aalto rejoined the team. He was unable to leave his Orange County home because of a case of flu, missing games Wednesday and Thursday against Colorado.

Tonight

at Edmonton, 5 PST

* Site--Edmonton Coliseum.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 17-21-9, Oilers 18-20-7.

* Record vs. Oilers--1-1.

* Update--Fredrik Olausson needs two points to reach 500 for his career and to become the second European-born defenseman to reach the milestone. Borje Salming, a fellow Swede, had 787 points while playing for Toronto and Detroit between 1973 and 1990. Olausson, who played for the Oilers for parts of three seasons, has eight goals and 14 assists in his last 20 games.