Ducks Firing Blanks

Another game, another defeat, another clunker.

So, why weren’t the Mighty Ducks slamming their sticks in anger after a 1-0 loss here Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers? Why didn’t anyone scream or swear or rant or rave after the Ducks’ third consecutive loss?

Believe it or not, the Ducks weren’t displeased after they were shut out for the first time since Oct. 13 against the Montreal Canadiens.

In fact, they think better days are ahead.

After all, it can’t get much worse.

“Tonight was a good way to start heading in the right direction,” said left wing Jim McKenzie, who nearly saw the game-tying goal deflect off his skate in the final seconds.

“We can’t panic,” said goaltender Guy Hebert, who stopped all but defenseman Janne Niinimaa’s third-period shot from the blue line. “We probably deserved better than a 1-0 loss. I feel very comfortable with our situation.”

Said captain Paul Kariya, who butchered a point-blank scoring chance that would have given the Ducks a 1-0 lead late in the second period: “I thought this was probably one of our better games in a long time. We’ve got to be positive about it.”

Even normally dour Coach Craig Hartsburg seemed remarkably upbeat.

“Obviously, this was a heck of a lot better than the other night,” Hartsburg said, referring to the 6-2 drubbing the Colorado Avalanche administered Thursday in Denver. “It’s something to build on. We responded with a better effort tonight.”

A solid effort, to be sure, but the results were sadly lacking again.

This time, Anaheim struggled to piece together an offensive attack against former Duck goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov. He stopped all 22 shots and recorded his third shutout as an Oiler.

“The guys played great in front of me,” Shtalenkov said. “I liked that. No shots. No goals.”

It was a far cry from his last start, when he was pulled in the second period after giving up five goals on 16 shots in the Ducks’ 6-4 victory Jan. 10 at the Pond. Shtalenkov hadn’t played since that game, yielding to backup Bob Essensa for five games.

Kariya had the best (only?) chance to score for the Ducks on Saturday, but shanked his shot wide from near the left goal post with 15 seconds left in the second period.

“You get a grade-A chance to score and you’ve got to bury it,” Kariya said. “I hit it off the heel of my stick and that hooked it wide. I just caught it with the wrong part of my stick.”

Unlucky?

There was more to come for the Ducks, who dropped to a season-low five games below .500 at 17-22-9.

Niinimaa’s shot from the blue line only 2:15 into the third period seemed harmless enough at first glance.

But Hebert failed to stop it cleanly and the rebound was poked into the net by a retreating teammate. Hebert believed it was Matt Cullen. Television replays indicated it might have been Tomas Sandstrom.

Either way the Ducks were down, 1-0.

Niinimaa was credited with his second goal of the season.

The Ducks swarmed the Oiler net in the final, frantic moments after McKenzie charged onto the ice as a sixth skater in place of Hebert. But nothing clicked and the Ducks fell to 1-6-1 in their last eight games.

In the end, the Ducks failed to score on five chances on the power play. They also took too many penalties and spent too much time standing around the perimeter, rather than camping out in front of Shtalenkov and looking for rebounds.

Those weren’t new troubles for the Ducks. They have been as much a part of their game as Kariya’s scoring touch or Hebert’s ability to stop pucks this season.

“Good teams don’t make silly mistakes out there,” said Kariya, who was held without a goal or an assist for the second consecutive game. “We still have to stay out of the penalty box, especially on the road.”

Asked what it will take to end the Ducks’ funk, Kariya said:

“Sometimes you just need a break to get your confidence going again. It’s a funny game sometimes. You can do nothing wrong sometimes and still not win. Other times you can do everything wrong and get a cheap win.”