Tie Doesn’t Please Ducks

Sure, rallying for a 5-5 tie against the Chicago Blackhawks with goalie Guy Hebert on the bench in favor of a sixth skater in the final moments of the final game of a five-game, 10-day trip should have made the Mighty Ducks giddy for their long flight home.

As recently as last season, the road-weary Ducks probably would have been happy campers.

No longer. The Ducks have set higher standards for themselves in 1999-2000.

The postgame mood in the Duck dressing room wasn’t quite downcast, but it was close. The Ducks figured they had a gimme Thursday night against the winless and luckless Blackhawks (0-3-4-0).

The Ducks (4-4-1-1) very nearly left the United Center with nothing--no win, no tie and no point to store away for the stretch drive later this season.

“Unacceptable,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said after Teemu Selanne’s tying goal with 1:13 left in regulation forced the Ducks’ second overtime session in three games.

“I think the good thing about this game is that nobody is satisfied about a tie. We know we didn’t play well,” Selanne said after helping the Ducks salvage a point with his third goal in two games.

“We’ll take our one point. It’s better than nothing,” Hebert said after a lackluster showing in which he let in three goals on the first nine shots he faced.

The Ducks started with the right frame of mind, using their speed and their smarts to build a 1-0 lead after the first period. The Blackhawks looked disoriented, managed three shots on net and were booed off the ice by the announced crowd of 14,093.

But the Ducks’ breakdowns in the second period were too numerous to be included here, and the Blackhawks rallied for a 3-2 lead. Worst of all was that the Ducks were whistled for having too many men on the ice late in the second period.

Nineteen seconds later, Tony Amonte scored the go-ahead power-play goal for Chicago at 17:49. After 40 minutes, the Ducks outshot the Blackhawks, 16-9, and compiled more quality scoring chances by an unofficial count of 13-5.

Third-period goals from Antti Aalto and Marty McInnis seemed to signal the Ducks had shaken whatever ills had seized them in the second period. A 4-3 lead looked secure enough with 11:10 left in regulation time, but it wasn’t.

Hebert looked out of sync from start to finish and Chicago took full advantage. Dean McAmmond and Doug Gilmour scored less than five minute apart to give the Blackhawks a 5-4 lead with 2:40 left in the third period.

“I’ll be the first to say I certainly didn’t play my best,” Hebert said. “I had problems getting set all night. . . . After each goal I said to myself, ‘OK, just stop the next shot.’ ”

The Blackhawks could not get another puck by Hebert and Selanne bailed out the Ducks with center Steve Rucchin on the ice in place of the goaltender.

Center Matt Cullen set up the goal with a quick flip toward the net from the right faceoff circle. The puck fluttered to Selanne, who was stationed in the left circle.

“The puck was rolling, so I tried to just hit the net [with the shot],” Selanne said. “It was lucky.”

Chicago goalie Jocelyn Thibault appeared to deflect the puck, but Selanne put enough on his shot to get the puck into the net. The Ducks then mobbed Selanne in celebration.

There was end-to-end action in the five-minute overtime period, but neither team could score.

“This was our worst game on the road trip,” Selanne said. “I think the guys were out of energy and out of jump. [But] we showed our character and tied the game. We’re on the right track, though. This was a pretty good road trip.”

The Ducks begin a six-game homestand against the winless Boston Bruins (0-5-4-0) Sunday at the Arrowhead Pond. The Ducks must play with far greater intensity if they are to avoid a repeat of Thursday, according to Hartsburg.

“We can be better and we will be better,” Hartsburg said. “It’ll be nice to get home. We’ve got six in a row at home and it’ll give us time to get things done.”