Ducks Shut Down the Sharks, 4-2

Coach Craig Hartsburg has it pegged. They are all big games now for the Mighty Ducks. Every shift, every pass, every shot, every save can make or break the Ducks’ playoff chances.

There’s no sense pointing out that it’s the Ducks’ own fault for letting it get to this point--a must-win situation in each and every one of their final 18 games.

What’s done is done. Besides, the Ducks showed desperation is a terrific motivator in a 4-2 victory Tuesday against the Sharks before a sellout crowd of 17,483 at San Jose Arena.

Playing their fourth consecutive game without captain Paul Kariya, who was at home in Orange County rehabilitating his bruised right foot, the Ducks played a patient, hard-nosed game against the Sharks.

The Ducks scored twice on their power play, got strong goaltending from Guy Hebert and a backbreaking third-period goal by third-line winger Mike Leclerc. San Jose managed only four third-period shots.

The Ducks passed the Calgary Flames, moving into ninth place in the Western Conference standings, and trail the eighth-place Sharks and seventh-place Colorado Avalanche by two points in the battle for the final two playoff spots.

Trailing, 2-1, 42 seconds into the second period, the Ducks rallied with one of their strongest defensive efforts in recent memory. After giving up two power-play goals, the Ducks’ penalty-killing unit suffocated the Sharks twice in the third period.

Marty McInnis and Oleg Tverdovsky scored for the Ducks in the second period. Tverdovsky’s goal, on a power play at 18:18, was his career-high 11th this season.

Leclerc scored the Ducks’ fourth goal at 11:37 of the third period. Linemate Ladislav Kohn pounced on a turnover in the Shark zone, dropped a pass to Antti Aalto, who slipped the puck to Leclerc on right wing. Leclerc had an easy finish, sliding the puck into an open net.

The NHL certainly realized the importance of the game, assigning two of its most respected referees, Kerry Fraser and Terry Gregson, to keep watch.

Fraser and Gregson called a tight game, although neither team could complain about the referees’ work. Heading into the final period, each team scored twice on its power play.

The third period figured to be a test of restraint for the Ducks and Sharks.

San Jose’s Vincent Damphousse, at 18:24 of the first period, countered Duck Matt Cullen’s power-play goal 3:42 into the game.

Owen Nolan, standing alone near the left goal post, gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal 42 seconds into the second period. Seventeen of Nolan’s 38 goals have come with the man advantage.

The Ducks seemed worn out as the second period progressed. They gave up numerous two-on-one and three-on-two rushes, but the Sharks never capitalized.

Midway through the second, Steve Rucchin helped to break the tie by winning a faceoff to the right of San Jose goaltender Steve Shields. Rucchin nudged the puck past Shark center Marco Sturm, creating a quick two-on-one advantage at point-blank range.

Rucchin quickly passed to Marty McInnis, who deposited the puck behind a helpless Shields for a 2-2 tie at 11:30.

Nolan almost produced the tying goal, but his shot from near the left post struck the crossbar and bounced away with about 7:30 left in the period.

Damphousse also had a quality scoring chance, but came up empty when Hebert smothered his dangerous shot from the slot moments after Nolan’s try.

The Ducks caught a break when Gregson spotted Mike Ricci interfering with Rucchin well behind the play at 17:33.

Tverdovsky then sneaked backdoor to Shields’ right, accepted a cross-ice pass from Kip Miller and lifted a shot over the goalie’s right shoulder for a 3-2 Duck lead at 18:18.

Fraser then caught Ricci slashing defenseman Kevin Haller in the dying moments of the period, giving the Ducks another power play, but they didn’t do much with it.