Tie Produced a Small Victory

Well, at least the power play clicked.

Jeff Nielsen’s goal at 8:37 of the second period Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes ended a five-game drought with the man advantage.

Nielsen’s goal gave the Ducks a 4-0 lead, but they squandered their advantage and were tied, 4-4.

Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg said he has grown weary of talking about the special teams’ woes, particularly the power play.

“We’ve worked on it, showed the players video and had a plan,” he said. “Now, they’ve got to go play. We can’t talk about it anymore. . . . Now, we’ve got to go do it.”

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According to published reports the Ducks soon will hire former Chicago Blackhawk general manager Bob Murray as a pro scout.

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The NHL All-Star game starters will be announced at halftime of a football game today on Channel 7.

Sorry to take the suspense out of it, but Paul Kariya will be named at left wing for the North American team and Teemu Selanne will be named at right wing for the World team.

Kariya and Selanne were among the leaders in voting by the fans. The All-Star game is Feb. 6 at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.

Today

at Detroit

4:30 PST

* Site--Joe Louis Arena, Detroit.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 18-18-5-1, Red Wings 26-11-4-1.

* Record vs. Red Wings--1-1.

* Update--The Red Wings are almost unbeatable at home, going 17-4-2 at Joe Louis Arena. The Ducks are 5-16-5 in their seven-season history against the Red Wings. And that’s not including eight consecutive playoff losses.