Lines Change, but Story Has the Same Sad Ending

Mighty Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg shuffled his lines Saturday against the Ottawa Senators in an attempt to jolt the Ducks from their lethargy.

Didn’t work.

Center Steve Rucchin joined Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne on the first line. Matt Cullen moved from the top line to the third to play between Marty McInnis and Jeff Nielsen. Antti Aalto played between Ted Donato and Ladislav Kohn.

Only the Stu Grimson-Tony Hrkac-Pascal Trepanier line remained intact from Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

“We realized the strength of [Ottawa’s Radek] Bonk and [Marian] Hossa and we needed a strong center,” Hartsburg said of playing Rucchin with Kariya and Selanne.

Hartsburg made the same move when the Ducks faced Philadelphia’s John LeClair and Eric Lindros in a 3-3 tie Nov. 3 at the Arrowhead Pond.

The Ducks had less success matching top line against top line Saturday, however. “The Bonk-Hossa-[Magnus] Arvedson line outplayed our three guys,” Hartsburg said. “They checked hard and worked harder.”

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Saturday’s 4-2 victory enabled Ottawa to remain atop the Eastern Conference standings with 26 points. But it’s hard to figure how the Senators have done it this season.

Alexei Yashin, who led Ottawa with 44 goals last season, has been suspended by the team for the remainder of the season for failing to honor his contract.

Right wing Daniel Alfredsson is out eight to 10 weeks because of a torn knee ligament. Defenseman Igor Kravchuk also has a knee injury that will sideline him six weeks. Defenseman Sami Salo has a broken wrist and it’s expected to be six to eight weeks before he can play.

Defenseman Erich Goldmann, making his NHL debut Thursday, sprained his right ankle after crashing heavily into the end boards. His return is uncertain.