Hebert Awkwardly Adjusts to Prosperity

Forgive goalie Guy Hebert, but he’s having a difficult time adjusting to the Ducks’ sudden defensive surge. After facing 30 or more shots a game for most of his tenure in Anaheim, Hebert has had little to do the last three games.

Over the seasons, Hebert has been sharper in net when the workload has been greater. This season, for instance, he is 10-4-2 when facing 30 or more shots.

But the Ducks have outshot the opposition, 101-59, in an overtime victory against Phoenix, a loss to the Kings and a victory over Nashville. And Hebert is feeling a bit left out.

“It might make a goaltender obsolete all together,” Hebert joked after stopping 16 of 17 shots in a 3-1 victory Monday over the Predators. “The defense was just great.”

Hebert ended a three-week media blackout Sunday, saying it was nothing personal. He had been playing well since he stopped talking to reporters after a 4-3 overtime loss March 8 to the New York Rangers.

“Just being superstitious,” he said.

Of facing the pressure of must-win games in the Ducks’ final three, he said: “It’s been like this for several weeks. But I would rather be right here, right now with a ray of hope than be one of the teams that have been already eliminated.”

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Paul Kariya on scoreboard-watching in the final week of the season: “We can’t be on the ice worrying about what the other teams are doing. We have to take care of our business.”

The ninth-place Ducks are three points behind the eighth-place San Jose Sharks in the fight for the final Western Conference playoff spot. The Ducks also trail the seventh-place Edmonton Oilers by four points. San Jose plays host to Dallas and Edmonton is home to Colorado tonight.

TONIGHT

at Chicago,

5:30 PDT

* Site--United Center.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 33-34-12-2, Blackhawks 30-39-10-2.

* Record vs. Blackhawks--3-0-1.

* Update--The Ducks hope defenseman Fredrik Olausson will play tonight. He was sidelined for Monday’s game because of flu-like conditions. Jason Marshall took Olausson’s spot in the lineup and will do so again if Olausson cannot play tonight. The Ducks are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games against the Blackhawks.