Ducks Get a Lift From McDonald

Mighty Duck center Andy McDonald didn’t see the first goal he scored Tuesday. He was heading to the bench for a line change.

On his second goal, he was airborne, after being tripped. But he managed to catch a glimpse of the puck in the net as he slid.

So they weren’t Kodak moments, or even picture perfect. They were another indication of how he is developing as a player.

McDonald had two goals and one assist, high points in a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild in front of a sellout crowd of 18,568 at the Excel Energy Center. The Ducks added something new to their game: offense.

Mike Leclerc had two goals. Patric Kjellberg, suffering from food poisoning, had a goal. The Ducks ended a 0-for-21 streak on the power play with two goals. They killed seven penalties against the Wild, which began the game tied with Washington for the league lead in power plays.

In the middle of it all was McDonald, generously listed at 5 feet 10 and 186 pounds.

“This is what this team needed,” said McDonald, recalled from minor league Cincinnati on Nov. 30. “It’s fun to be a part of this when the team wins one-sided like this.”

Needless to say there hasn’t been much fun for the Ducks this season. They had 20 goals in their previous 10 games, but they feasted against the Wild.

McDonald doesn’t come close to filling Steve Rucchin’s skates ... or his jersey ... or any other piece of his apparel. In fact, McDonald seemingly could fit in Rucchin’s duffel bag. But his play on the top line filled the hole created when Rucchin suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle on Nov. 11.

“It’s tough when you’re a smaller player,” Paul Kariya said. “I think that can make you a better player, just because you have to go through a lot more to get to this level.”

McDonald, who has two goals and seven points in nine games, has performed better offensively than the other centers that stepped into Rucchin’s spot on the line with Kariya. Samuel Pahlsson had one goal. Matt Cullen had no goals. McDonald topped them in one game.

“He can play in the NHL, we knew that,” Coach Bryan Murray said. “The concern we had was with a number of small people on our hockey team. Could we add another small player? He’s proven that he doesn’t play like a small player. He played strong on end tonight. He’s a puck hawk at times.”

McDonald passed the puck, instead of shooting it, in the second period. He broke in alone, but flipped a pass to Leclerc on the left. It all ended well. Moments later, Pavel Trnka fired a shot from the blue line that McDonald tipped to Leclerc, who backhanded a shot past goalie Manny Fernandez for a 2-1 lead with 1:31 left in the period.

“If I had to do it over again, I probably would have shot,” McDonald said.

McDonald did shoot early in the third period, a harmless looking attempt that Fernandez somehow missed.

“I turned back to the bench, then the place went quiet,” McDonald said. “I had to take second look.”

McDonald saw his second goal, from ice level.

Oleg Tverdovsky slipped him a pass at the blue line and McDonald burst in. Defenseman Brad Brown tripped him, but McDonald managed to guide the puck past Fernandez while airborne.

“It takes everyone to score goals, just like it takes everyone to play defense,” Murray said. “It’s not just one guy going through the other team.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have one little guy play as McDonald did.