Ducks’ Win Streak Comes to End, 4-4

Letdown?

Yeah, there was a hefty one in the third period Wednesday at the Arrowhead Pond, where the Mighty Ducks’ shabby performance in the final 20 minutes ended their seven-game winning streak.

The Ducks squandered a three-goal third-period lead en route to a 4-4 tie against the Vancouver Canucks before an announced crowd of 14,199.

Coach Craig Hartsburg had hoped to put the very idea of a flat performance out of the minds of the Ducks.

Asked earlier in the week about the significance of the Ducks’ 3-1 victory Sunday over the two-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, Hartsburg feigned ignorance.

“We played Detroit? When was that? Two weeks ago?” Hartsburg said.

The Ducks took their cue from Hartsburg, focusing intently on the task at hand in building a 4-1 lead after two periods Wednesday.

But they lost their way in the third period, giving up goals to Vancouver’s Josh Holden, Markus Nasland and Harry York. York’s goal came with goalie Kevin Weekes headed to the bench in favor of a sixth skater in the final minute of regulation.

The Ducks might have been forgiven for looking ahead in the final period to playing the first-place Stars on Friday at Dallas and the fourth-place Coyotes on Saturday at Phoenix.

But if they believed they had put in a good night’s work after only two periods, they were dead wrong.

Teemu Selanne’s second-period goal extended his point streak to 17 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in the NHL. Philadelphia’s Eric Lindros had an 18-game streak from Jan. 7 to Feb. 18.

Paul Kariya scored two goals and ended a three-game drought.

Steve Rucchin added three assists.

Ted Drury also scored for the Ducks, whose league-leading power play clicked three times Wednesday. Marty McInnis and Fredrik Olausson added two assists each.

“We want to make sure we stay consistent and desperate,” Hartsburg said at the morning skate. “As soon as you stop being desperate that’s when you start to go south. We’re not Detroit or Dallas with tons of veteran players.

“We’re not even close to where we want to be or where we can be.”

The first two periods represented two more steps in the right direction.

The third period represented one giant step backward, however.

Leading, 4-1, to start the final period, the flat-footed Ducks gave up goals to Holden and Nasland in the first 5:58. The Canucks suddenly seemed full of life.

The Ducks then regained their smarts and their stride, cutting off the Canucks’ pressure on goalie Guy Hebert not long after Nasland’s 33rd goal.

But York’s innocent-looking slap shot found its way past Hebert at the 19:11 mark and forced overtime with the score tied, 4-4.

Things started so much better than they ended for the Ducks.

After 12:02 of the first period, the Ducks had as many goals (two) as the Canucks had shots on goal.

Drury whistled a shot from just inside the blue line past Weekes at the 6:20 mark of the first period.

McInnis set up the goal, stealing a poor pass from Vancouver defenseman Mattias Ohlund and leaving the puck for a wide open Drury to fire on net.

Kariya then swept a rebound past Weekes while the Ducks were on a power play at 12:02. McInnis and Rucchin assisted on the goal, Kariya’s 28th but only his first in four games.

Selanne’s team-leading 37th goal, also while on the power play, gave the Ducks a commanding 3-0 lead only 1:43 into the second period.

Defenseman Adrian Aucoin made sure the Canucks would not be shut out, scoring a power-play goal while skating with a two-man advantage at 5:01 of the second.

But Kariya’s second power-play goal of the game gave the Ducks a 4-1 lead a little more than two minutes later.

At first glance, Kariya had no chance to score on the play. He was stationed behind the goal line and to Weekes’ left. He merely flipped the puck toward the front of the net, and Weekes did the rest.

Kariya’s pass struck Weekes’ stick and ricocheted into the net before the rookie goalie could react.