Ducks Go Beyond the Stars

The Mighty Ducks finally discovered a way to make the Dallas Stars look ordinary instead of unbeatable.

Actually, the means to defeat the Stars had been there all the time for the Ducks. Springing their speed on the Stars was hardly a novel approach, but it worked wonders for the Ducks in a 5-1 rout Friday before 16,533 at the Arrowhead Pond.

Instead of mucking and grinding in the corners, the Ducks sprinted past the skillful but not necessarily speedy Stars. In doing so, the Ducks exposed one of the few weaknesses of the Stars.

Teemu Selanne scored his NHL-leading 41st and 42nd goals and added two assists for his fourth four-point game this season. Paul Kariya scored one goal and had two assists.

Marty McInnis and Matt Cullen also scored for the Ducks.

Goalie Guy Hebert made 25 saves and the Ducks defeated the league-leading Stars for the first time this season. Derian Hatcher was the only one to beat Hebert, scoring a power-play goal for the Stars in the first period.

The Ducks then scored the next five goals.

“We needed a good effort like that,” Selanne said. “We knew this was going to be a big test. I think we passed the test. We knew Dallas was a little bit tired, so we took advantage with the tempo and our skating.”

Friday’s victory enabled the Ducks to maintain their tenuous hold on fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

Four days off to practice did wonders for the Ducks’ speed and spirits. But it also helped streaking St. Louis and San Jose draw near to the idle Ducks, who lead the sixth-place Blues by a mere two points and the seventh-place Sharks by only four.

The Ducks, 1-3-1 against Dallas this season, played with the required sense of urgency from start to finish Friday--their first game since a 5-2 loss Sunday to the Florida Panthers.

A four-goal second period turned the game in the Ducks’ favor and gave them a much-needed boost after a 1-3-2 slide in their last six games. By the third period, Duck fans were in full voice, serenading Dallas goalie Ed Belfour with a sing-song chant of “Bel-four, Bel-four.”

Two weeks ago, Belfour made 27 saves in a 4-0 Dallas victory at Reunion Arena, his seventh career shutout against the Ducks.

Belfour wasn’t nearly as sharp this time. And neither were his teammates, who were playing one night after defeating the Kings, 2-1, at the Great Western Forum.

“I think we got back to being a hard-working, tenacious team,” Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “Hopefully, we’re headed back in the right direction again. When we do that [play with speed and intensity], that’s when we’ve played our best this year. We put pressure on the puck. Part of that was that Dallas was tired. But we certainly worked hard and used our speed tonight.”

It also didn’t hurt the Ducks’ chances Friday that Dallas’ Jere Lehtinen could not play because of a sprained ankle. Lehtinen, regarded as one of the league’s best defensive wingers, might have been able to slow the Ducks.

But halting their relentless attacks on goalie Belfour’s net might have proved to be impossible even if Lehtinen had been fit to play.

Besides, Duck center Steve Rucchin was sidelined for the second consecutive game because of a groin strain, so things were just about even.

Dallas scored first, which didn’t bode well for the Ducks. An early deficit usually means defeat for opponents of the defensive-minded Stars.

They take a lead, use their size and experience to hold off the opposition and win again and again.

The Stars have followed that formula to lead the league with 45 victories and 102 points.

Hatcher’s power-play goal at 8:27 of the first period seemed to be just the thing to send the Stars on their way to another victory over the Ducks; the Stars led the all-time series, 18-6-1, going into the game.

Didn’t happen this time.

McInnis countered with a power-play goal with 32 seconds left in the first period. Cullen gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead only 19 seconds into the second period and the rout was on.

Cullen’s goal typified the way the game went for the flat-footed Stars.

Instead of skating hard to a loose puck along the right-wing boards, Hatcher backed off to let Cullen gain possession and the Stars paid the price.

Cullen then fed the puck into the slot to Kariya, whose one-timer was deflected over the net.

Selanne, stationed behind the net, slipped the puck into the slot for Cullen’s one-timer that beat Belfour.

And all the while, the Stars stood around watching the play develop into the go-ahead goal for the Ducks.