Team Can’t Find Power in Winless Weekend

The Mighty Ducks were looking for something to salvage from a lost weekend.

They faced two teams ahead of them in the Pacific Division and lost both without scoring a goal. Dallas, the top team in the NHL, beat the Ducks, 4-0, Friday. Phoenix beat them, 1-0, Saturday.

“I think we learned we have to take our game to another level against those teams,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “Goals are tough to come by this time of year. You need to start playing grittier. That’s not just the third and fourth lines, but Paul [Kariya] and Teemu [Selanne] too.”

The Ducks missed a chance to pull even with the Coyotes in the standings, but were not unhappy with either effort over the weekend. They had a strong first period against Dallas and controlled the final half of the Phoenix game.

Still, the Ducks were scoreless in 11 power-play tries in the two games. Not what you would expect from the league’s best power play.

Of course, Selanne lost a power play goal against Dallas when video replays showed Duck defenseman Fredrik Olausson had his big toe in the goal crease. Selanne just missed another one Saturday in Phoenix when he hit the post in the first period.

“Hopefully, we’re saving all those goals for the playoffs when we will need them big time,” Selanne said after the Phoenix loss.

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No one ran off at the mouth following the Phoenix game, a change for these two teams. In the past, post-game banter seemed almost mandatory.

This time, everyone was careful not to provide fodder.

Well, sort of.

The victory was Phoenix’s first this season against the Ducks, after going 0-2-2. But at least one Duck player wasn’t ready to hand the Coyotes complete credit.

“I don’t want to say they were better than we were,” Selanne said. “We just didn’t bury the puck. I should have had three goals.

“We need to have a better effort. We need to show we can beat those guys.”