Bylsma Hits Check Points

If the Mighty Ducks are to be taken seriously this season, they are going to have to put together shifts like the ones forward Dan Bylsma and his linemates had throughout Sunday’s impressive 5-0 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Filling in for injured Marty McInnis on a line with left wing Mike Leclerc and center Matt Cullen, Bylsma posted the first two-goal game of his seven-year NHL career, leading the Ducks to their second consecutive victory before an announced crowd of 9,876 at the Arrowhead Pond.

“I’ve been doing a lot of other things to stay in the National Hockey League and scoring wasn’t one of them,” said Bylsma, who has been a checking forward for most of his career. “But it’s nice to chip in....I’ll play on any line they want me to.”

Improving to 4-3 at home, the Ducks climbed to within one victory of .500 at 6-7-1-0. And they did so with their most complete game of the season.

Paul Kariya again found the net since returning to his old stick, scoring a second-period goal to stretch his scoring streak to three games. Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere also had another strong game, making 24 saves and recording his first shutout of the season and fifth in his career.

Giguere, who has started five of the last six games for Anaheim, improved to 4-2 and seems to be gaining confidence with each save.

“The better we play in front of me, the more confident I’m going to be,” Giguere said. “It wasn’t really an easy game. We just played very well and we didn’t give them much. All I had to do was make the first save and they took care of the rebound. It was basic hockey out there.”

The Ducks held a 34-24 edge in shots over Atlanta, which was playing its second game in as many days after losing to the Kings, 4-1, on Saturday.

Anaheim got off to a strong start, thanks to Bylsma’s first goal 2 minutes 2 seconds into the first period. On the play, Bylsma got things going when he crushed Atlanta’s Brad Tapper with a check and, moments later, finished off his shift by knocking in a rebound for his third goal of the season.

Anaheim took a 2-0 lead in the second period on Kariya’s fourth goal in three games and then dominated the third period with three goals, highlighted by Bylsma’s second short-handed goal of his career.

With Anaheim trying to kill off a five-minute Atlanta power play, Bylsma brought his teammates to their feet when he drove around defenseman Petr Buzek and launched a backhand shot that got past Thrasher goaltender Milan Hnilicka.

“I’ve gotten a number of goals in my career driving to the net and getting rebounds, but that one was my first real NHL goal that I had a nice shot that resulted in a goal,” said Bylsma, whose four goals this season are already a career high. “That’s the first one that might show up on ESPN’s NHL2night.”

After taking a commanding 3-0 lead, Anaheim finished off Atlanta with Cullen’s fifth goal of the season, followed by Oleg Tverdovsky’s second. The Ducks have outscored their last two opponents, 10-2.

“One thing I know is that if you play together as a group and move the puck around, people will score goals,” Duck Coach Bryan Murray said. “It will not always be the guy who you expect.”

But as well as the Ducks are playing, poor attendance continues to be a problem. With four games remaining in their current eight-game homestand, the Ducks are still looking for their first 17,000-plus crowd.

“It’s disappointing,” said Kariya, who remembers when home sellouts were the norm for the Ducks. “Everyone loves to play in front of a full house. Even on the road because there’s a lot more energy in the rink....But even when [the Pond] is not full, if the fans are into the game and we are playing well, it makes it so much easier to play.”

But will the Ducks ever get back their fan support? Kariya believes they will ... eventually.

“We have to get a hot streak going,” he said. “We have to continue to play well in this homestand so we can gain momentum for our fans and for our team.”