Aalto Positions Ducks for Win

Antti Aalto certainly didn’t do anything Sunday to hurt his chances of becoming Steve Rucchin’s replacement as the Ducks’ top-line center.

Yet, it was only one game--and an exhibition at that--so no one was getting too carried away after Aalto scored the go-ahead goal in the Ducks’ 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the Arrowhead Pond.

Rucchin, who suffered a broken metacarpal in his left hand late in Friday’s exhibition victory over the Kings, will be sidelined about a month. His hand will be placed in a cast today.

“He’s a guy you can’t replace,” goalie Guy Hebert said of Rucchin, the Ducks’ third-leading scorer last season with 57 points.

Aalto earned another shot to play between all-star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, and it wasn’t simply his goal with 29 seconds left that did it, either. The Ducks play Friday at Minnesota.

“I thought he had a good, solid game,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said of Aalto, who had seven goals and 18 points in 63 games last season. “He should only get better. What he did was play his game. He battled for pucks. He turned pucks over. Good for him. Good for the three of them. They created lots of chances.”

Aalto said he was nervous as the game began, but by the third period he settled comfortably between his more heralded linemates.

When Selanne pounced on a loose puck at center ice in the game’s final minute and fed a pass ahead to a streaking Kariya on left wing, Aalto headed for the Shark net. Kariya dropped the puck to Aalto, who one-timed it over goalie Johan Hedberg’s right shoulder.

Scott Thornton scored for San Jose (2-2-1 in exhibition play) 6:48 into the second period. Matt Cullen countered with one second left in the second for the Ducks (3-3). Goalie Guy Hebert made 17 saves in his second exhibition start.