Kariya, Selanne Find Life on Different Lines

It would be one thing if Coach Craig Hartsburg had split up all-star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne and the Ducks’ winless slide continued.

But the Ducks have played two of their best games in November, winning both and ending an eight-game winless streak, and it’s apparently because Kariya and Selanne aren’t playing on the same line.

“It gives us a different look,” Hartsburg said. “It’s changed our focus a little bit. It makes us a stronger team. If guys play together for a long time in this league they can get stale and predictable. Paul and Teemu have been re-energized and gotten stronger.”

Selanne had a goal and an assist in the Ducks’ 6-2 victory Saturday over the Phoenix Coyotes, which ended the team’s five-game losing streak and 0-6-2 winless slump. He added a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders.

Kariya had an assist Saturday and a goal Sunday.

Expect Selanne to continue to be teamed with center Matt Cullen and left wing Mike Leclerc and for Kariya to keep playing alongside center German Titov and right wing Marty McInnis while center Steve Rucchin is sidelined because of a broken nose and cheekbone. Rucchin is expected to be out several weeks.

“I think they are both comfortable playing on other lines,” Hartsburg said. “I think it’s just that everybody assumes they have to play together and that’s not the case at all. . . . They have never, ever told me they have to play together.”

Kariya put it this way: “You have to be able to play with anybody. I think we have played better the last two games. If you want to look at the lines, look at the lines. Certainly, we’re not out of the mud yet, but we’re not going down deeper.”

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Kariya doesn’t mind meetings. But he wouldn’t miss it if Pierre Gauthier, team president and general manager, didn’t have to lecture the team the way he did Thursday.

“Pierre wants to win as badly as anyone in the organization,” Kariya said. “He’s a quiet guy. It’s obvious the guys were listening. I’d like to see us have meetings when we’re playing well, but maybe not the other type of meeting. We’ve got to keep playing better. We’ve got to go on a stretch.”