Stopping the Blues’ Power Is a Different Challenge

Now it gets more difficult for the Ducks, who dispatched the expansion Minnesota Wild, 3-1, in their season opener. Today, they face the NHL’s best regular-season team in 1999-2000, and it’s going to take a better all-around effort against the St. Louis Blues to duplicate Friday’s result.

“We’re playing a team that’s pretty good on the power play,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “Maybe our best penalty-killer will be to not take a lot of penalties.”

The Ducks muzzled the Wild on six short-handed situations. But the Wild lacks the punch and experience of the Blues, who were seventh last season with a 17.8% success rate on the power play.

If Friday was any indication, the Ducks’ new-look penalty-killing unit should handle itself better this season. Dan Bylsma led a more aggressive unit that succeeded at keeping the Wild on the perimeter and away from goalie Guy Hebert.

“I thought their chances were limited,” Hartsburg said. “There were those back-to-back power plays in the second period and they didn’t get a shot.”

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Marian Gaborik’s second-period goal for Minnesota ended the Ducks’ shutout streak in home openers at a whopping 192 minutes 3 seconds. The Ducks have outscored the opposition, 9-1, in their last three home openers.

vs. St. Louis, 1, Fox Sports Net 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 1-0, Blues 1-1.

* Record vs. Blues (1999-2000)--1-2-1.

* Update--Defenseman Pavel Trnka will play today, probably replacing Jason Marshall in the lineup. This will be the third game in four days for the Blues, who lost their opener at Phoenix, 4-1, Thursday and won Friday at San Jose, 4-1. St. Louis led the league with 114 points last season but lost to San Jose in the first round of the playoffs.

* Tickets--(714) 703-2545.