Rucchin’s Absence Not Disastrous

The Ducks haven’t missed a beat while winning two of their last three games without standout center Steve Rucchin, who has been sidelined by a groin strain.

Rucchin could be back in the lineup as early as the start of a five-game trip Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils.

“You’ve got to deal with it,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said, sticking to his usual response when asked about playing without a key player. “There’s not much you can do. When somebody’s out, then somebody else has to step up and do the job.”

However, Hartsburg did say Rucchin is difficult to replace in the lineup. After all, Rucchin has 23 goals, 37 assists and is the Ducks’ best defensive center and their best at winning faceoffs.

“It’s his overall game [the Ducks miss],” Hartsburg said. “When a guy like that is out of the lineup, you miss him in all areas. You don’t just miss him in one area. It’s both ends of the rink.”

Rucchin skated on his own Sunday morning. He has not worked out with teammates since injuring himself midway through a practice March 20. The Ducks did not practice Monday, spending the day flying to Newark, N.J.

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Tomas Sandstrom has 11 goals and 16 assists in 48 games this season, not what many fans have come to expect from the veteran winger. But Hartsburg couldn’t be happier with Sandstrom’s contributions.

Part of Sandstrom’s limited output stems from missing 24 games because of a broken left wrist, suffered Nov. 8 against the Detroit Red Wings. However, he has five goals and 11 assists in his last 20 games.

“It’s been a tough year for him because of his injury,” Hartsburg said of Sandstrom, who scored 35 goals as recently as 1995-96 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. “It took a long time for him to come back from that wrist thing. He’s helped us, though. He’s been a very reliable player and been a big help for us.”

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After 72 games, the Ducks are among the most improved teams in the NHL--a remarkable 18 points better than at this point last season.

The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for making the biggest improvement from last season to this, each having picked up 23 points. The Ducks are next, having improved their record from 24-37-11 in 1997-98 to 33-28-11 this season.

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FYI: The first line has combined for 23 points in the Ducks’ last four games. Left wing Paul Kariya has four goals and six assists and right wing Teemu Selanne has six goals and five assists. Center Matt Cullen has one goal and one assist.

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For what it’s worth, the second-period goals scored 12 seconds apart by Selanne and Jeff Nielsen in Sunday’s 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames were the fastest in Duck history. J.F. Jomphe, now playing for the Montreal Canadiens, scored two goals 13 seconds apart Dec. 13, 1996, against the Washington Capitals.

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The Ducks need three victories in their final 10 regular-season games to match the franchise record of 36 set in 1996-97. They also are eight points shy of the franchise record of 85 set in ‘96-97. . . . Left wing Marty McInnis’ next goal or assist will be his 300th point in the NHL. . . . Sunday’s victory was the Ducks’ 100th at the Arrowhead Pond. . . . The Ducks are 13-0 when scoring five goals or more.