Ducks Leave Dallas Empty-Handed Again

One Mighty Duck streak was extended Friday. The team’s continuing futility here.

After a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the Stars, the Ducks’ winless streak at Reunion Arena reached 12 games. They haven’t won in Dallas since Dec. 17, 1993.

The Stars pleased the 16,928 in attendance by moving 30 games above .500 and increasing their NHL-leading point total to 94. They got two goals from Joe Nieuwendyk, who is skating better than ever since undergoing off-season knee surgery, and a shutout from goalie Eddie Belfour.

So, gone was the Ducks’ eight-game unbeaten streak, and gone too was Teemu Selanne’s 17-game point string--although it took a ruling by the video goal judge.

“It was a situation where the first team to crack was going to lose,” left wing Paul Kariya said. “And we cracked.”

They mustered a splendid first period Friday, then wilted under the Stars’ steady play. A close game became a rout and the Ducks became frustrated.

Several skirmishes broke out, including one after the second period had ended. Duck left wing Jim McKenzie was involved in the most bizarre confrontation. He exchanged slashes behind the net with Belfour in the third period. Belfour then gave McKenzie a shove and McKenzie retaliated.

Belfour beat the rap, but McKenize was given two minutes for slashing, two minutes for cross checking and a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

‘I forechecked him and maybe bumped him a little,” McKenzie said. “I didn’t hit him. Then he hit me and I hit him. Then he said something about Duke winning the national title and I said it would be UConn, and it escalated from there.”

He was being flippant, but such was the Ducks’ frustration.

During their unbeaten streak they had outworked other teams and capitalized on mistakes. They did none of that Friday. They had the league’s top power play but went scoreless in six chances with a man advantage.

“We had a really good first period and didn’t have anything on the board for it,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “But that’s why Dallas has 94 points. They keep playing. They keep persisting. They break you down. They are a team that has a strong will.

“We talk about learning lessons and they are the best team to learn from.”

And the Stars weren’t even in tip-top shape Friday.

Brett Hull was sidelined for an eighth game in a row because of a hamstring injury. Darryl Sydor, their top scoring defenseman, missed his second game because of a knee sprain.

But Dallas was hardly left without stars.

Mike Modano broke a scoreless tie by skating in alone to take a Jamie Langenbrunner pass for his 29th goal 5 minutes 9 seconds into the second period.

It was one of many battles the Ducks lost after a scoreless first period. Jere Lehtinen made the play happen when he outfought Kevin Haller for the puck in the corner. Langenbrunner picked it up and circled the net and found Modano.

Later in the period, the Ducks got caught on a line change and the Stars took advantage. Tony Hrkac hammered home a second point-blank shot for a 2-0 lead at 10:23.

Nieuwendyk scored his goals in the third period. The second came when he won a faceoff in the Stars’ end, then raced up ice and took a Sergei Zubov pass at the red line.

Goalie Guy Hebert was taken out of the game after the goal but for protection, not punishment.

“It certainly wasn’t the goalie’s fault,” Hartsburg said.

The four goals were more than enough for Belfour, who posted his 45th shutout, although he needed help from upstairs to do it.

Selanne chipped home a rebound on a power play that cut the Dallas lead to 3-1 at 5:42 of the third period. Replays showed defenseman Fredrik Olausson’s skate was in the crease . . . barely.

“That’s a joke,” Selanne said. “That rule is ruining hockey. It’s not because my streak was ended. It had nothing to do with the play. I feel ashamed for hockey.”