Tverdovsky Just Keeps Showing Up

Oleg Tverdovsky plays on. Never mind that Boston’s Martin Lapointe upended him Thursday. Or that Darius Kasparaitis buried him with a brutal check Saturday.

Read nothing into the fact that Tverdovsky skipped practice Sunday. He will be in the lineup tonight, when the Ducks play the Maple Leafs in Toronto. He has played 292 consecutive games, the second longest active streak. Chicago’s Tony Amonte is at 330.

Tverdovsky worked out but did not skate Sunday. Yet, he won’t sit out a game.

“I’ll play as long as I can help the team,” Tverdovsky said. “If I couldn’t help the team, I wouldn’t go out there just for the sake of keeping the streak alive.”

Tverdovsky has had a rough start to this season.

Lapointe lowered his shoulder and went under Tverdovsky, sending him flying in the third period Thursday. Tverdovsky was slow to get up, but didn’t miss a shift.

Kasparaitis’ hit early in the first period Saturday was worthy of his reputation: vicious. Tverdovsky was skating in the Penguins’ zone when Kasparaitis leveled his occasional teammate on the Russian national team.

Tverdovksy remained down for several minutes, and Kasparaitis was called for roughing.

“I guess I made some highlight films with that,” Tverdovsky said. “I didn’t know who it was. I saw somebody coming. I guess there is only one guy in the league who can hit like that. After the game, he asked me how I was. I just shook my head.”

He didn’t miss a shift.

The Ducks’ defense, with off-season acquisitions Keith Carney and Jason York, looked sharper in the victory over the Penguins.

“There is always an adjustment period,” Carney said. “We’re not just learning each other, but the system.”

Carney was steady, playing a team-high 22 minutes 40 seconds. York fired in a power-play goal that gave the Ducks a 3-0 first-period lead.

TONIGHT

at TORONTO, 4 PDT

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio--XTRA (690).

Site--Air Canada Centre.

Records--Ducks 1-1-0-0; Maple Leafs 0-1-1-0.

Record vs. Maple Leafs (2000-01)--0-1-0-0.

Update--Toronto’s Alexander Mogilny, signed as free agent this summer, had two goals in the Maple Leafs’ opener and needs two more to reach 400 in his career. Duck goalie Steve Shields will start for the third consecutive time, although Jean-Sebastien Giguere (groin) is closer to being ready. Shields was exceptional in a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh Saturday, stopping 41 of 43 shots.