Red Wings Give Ducks the Chills, 3-2

Things were against the Mighty Ducks from the time they were stranded in Colorado right through the moment goalie Guy Hebert stepped into the postgame shower Sunday.

“We don’t have any hot water,” Hebert screamed down the hall.

Enough was enough.

Mechanical problems with their charter flight grounded the Ducks in Denver Saturday. Cold water spit at them from the shower heads Sunday evening. In between were some looney-toon moments in a 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Sure, it was entertaining for the Red Wing-laden crowd of 16,417 at the Arrowhead Pond. But it was frustrating for the Ducks.

They came out focused. Then a puck bounced off a skate for a goal. They worked hard. Then a broken stick led to another goal. They rallied and tied the score. Then a puck trickled into the net.

Such things extended the Ducks’ winless streak to seven games (0-5-2), matching their longest streak last season. And Hebert was taking no chances.

“I’m going to go home, lay down and not move until tomorrow,” Hebert said.

How things went for the Ducks was demonstrated by two shots.

The Ducks’ Paul Kariya whipped the first shot 22 seconds into the game. The puck hit Red Wing goalie Manny Legace, rolled between his legs and all but a sliver of it crossed the line. No goal, even after being reviewed.

The Red Wings’ Brendan Shanahan whipped a shot late in the second period. The puck somehow threaded its way through three players, hit Hebert’s stick, rolled between his legs and trickled over the goal line. Game winner.

“In the olden days, when they had only one referee, I might have been able to reach back and move the puck out without anyone noticing,” Hebert said. “What can you do?”

The Ducks had no answers for such happenings. A Detroit penalty, combined with pulling Hebert, gave the Ducks a two-man advantage in the final 44 seconds. They couldn’t even get off a shot.

“In this league, you get rewarded by working hard,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “The more rewards you get, the more breaks you get.”

Somehow that theory didn’t take the Ducks from point A to point B or C, leaving them without a W for the second consecutive night.

The Ducks lost to Colorado, 3-1, Saturday, then were forced to stay over. They returned home Saturday and spent the day at a hotel. Room service would be the highlight of their day.

Things seemed fine at first. The Ducks were in top form at the start Sunday. The outhit the Red Wings, including a one-sided fight between Jim Cummins and Darren McCarty, and outskated them.

“I thought it was one of our better games this year,” Hartsburg said. “If not for a few lucky bounces, we would have got something from that game. I think we can build on this.”

The positive spin, looking forward, is best. Looking back wasn’t pleasant.

“Sometimes weird things happen,” Teemu Selanne said. “When you’re playing a team like Detroit, it’s not going to be a good night if they get a couple lucky ones.”

Those started when Duck defenseman Vitaly Vishnevksi pushed Kirk Maltby behind the net. Maltby slapped the puck backward, trying to pass. It hit Duck defenseman Patrick Traverse on the left skate and slid past a stunned Hebert for a 1-0 Detroit lead 8 minutes 16 seconds into the first period.

The Red Wings outshot the Ducks, 13-2, the remainder of the period. One was a laser from Shanahan on a power play. The Ducks’ Steve Rucchin broke his stick moments before, basically giving the Red Wings a five-on-three advantage. Shanahan lined up his shot in front of Rucchin and the Red Wings had a 2-0 lead.

The Ducks got themselves off the ice in the second period. Marty McInnis took a rebound and passed across the crease to Mike Leclerc for a power-play goal 1:41 into the second period. It snapped the Ducks’ 0-for-20 streak on the power play.