Ducks Throw Up Defensive Shields

Robert Lang zeroed in and let loose a slap shot. Mighty Duck goalie Steve Shields tracked the puck all the way and snagged it with his glove.

This was the opening minute, and the first of many shots Shields would face. Shot ... save. The Pittsburgh Penguins would see that throughout the game.

That the Ducks managed to hang on for a 4-2 victory Saturday in front of 15,411 at Mellon Arena was due in large part to Shields. Matt Cullen scored two goals and Jeff Friesen had three assists, helping the Ducks build a 3-0 first-period lead.

The defense held off one of the better offensive teams in the league, even if the Penguins were playing without Mario Lemieux. But center stage belonged to Shields, who stopped 41 of 43 shots, many of the saves spectacular.

“When you got a night like that from your goalie, there is really no way to explain how that affects a team mentally,” said Cullen, who had the first two-goal game of his career. “This was a team that can put a lot of pucks in the net. Steve came up big all night.”

He had to in the third period.

Pittsburgh’s Dan LaCouture came out of the penalty box and slipped behind Duck defenders to score on a breakaway that cut the Ducks’ lead to 3-2 only 6 minutes 23 seconds into the period. Shields made 12 saves during an eight-minute span, preserving the one-goal lead until Friesen fed Marty McInnis in front of the net for the clinching goal at 14:42.

“We needed a game like this,” Shields said. “We needed the confidence. It was important this early in the season to hold off an opponent that was really putting the pressure on us. We want this to become second nature, where we’re having fun holding on to leads in the third.”

The Ducks were in need of a pick-me-up after a 4-2 loss to Boston Thursday in which they were outshot, 37-23. Shields got peppered again Saturday. The Penguins had a 43-20 advantage in shots, even without Lemieux, who sat out because of a strained hip muscle.

“Steve is such a battler back there,” Duck Coach Bryan Murray said. “His play gave us a good feeling on the bench. When your goalie is solid like that, everyone feels as long as you don’t make the big mistake, you’ll win.”

Shields, acquired last March from San Jose, was sharp, especially in the second period with the Ducks leading, 3-1. With Duck defenseman Jason York off for holding, Shields first stopped a point-blank shot by Kevin Stevens. The rebound came to Kris Beech at the edge of the goal crease, but Shields managed to slide to his left and block Beech’s attempt.

“There are times when you’re on the road when you need your goalie to win a game for you,” Murray said. “That’s what happened tonight.”

Shields also made two skate saves on Aleksey Morozov, who picked up a rebound on the left side of the net. Alexei Kovalev had four quality scoring chances that were denied by Shields.

“As long as they go on the scoreboard as saves, I like that,” Shields said. “I just kept myself in good position.”

This was one occasion when the Ducks could reap benefits from the trade that sent Teemu Selanne to San Jose for Shields and Friesen.

Stephane Richer was sent off for boarding and the Ducks capitalized. Oleg Tverdovsky’s shot from the blue line was blocked, the puck sliding to Friesen on the right side. Friesen whipped a pass in front on the net and Cullen redirected the puck between goalie Johan Hedberg’s legs for a 1-0 lead 7:24 into the game.

Cullen and Friesen teamed again two minutes later with the Ducks shorthanded. Friesen stole the puck at the Ducks’ blue line and Cullen joined him on a 2-on-1 break. Friesen centered again, making a pinpoint pass that Cullen flicked past Hedberg.

York, signed as a free agent to help bolster the offense from the blue line, did just that with the Ducks on a two-man advantage. York snapped a pass to Steve Rucchin behind the net. Rucchin returned the puck and York lined up a shot and snapped the puck between Hedberg’s pads.

A 3-0 lead is a safe cushion against most teams.

“We knew it was going to be a lot closer,” Friesen said. “That’s a team that always finds ways to score goals. But I’ve seen Steve unconscious like that before.”