In Toronto, Open Season on Ducks

Goalie Steve Shields didn’t waste any time reliving the Mighty Ducks’ performance Monday.

“It’s hard to when we [stink] like we did tonight,” Shields said. “If not everyone comes prepared to play, especially on this team, we’re going to get crushed like that.”

Rarely can a team experience such a rock-bottom moment three games into the season. The Mighty Ducks were overachievers in that area Monday. The only good news after a 6-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs is that the Ducks still have 79 games.

Or is that the bad news?

The Ducks dissolved in a lump of defensive mistakes and offensive inertia. An overworked Shields collapsed in net.

The 18,585 in the Air Canada Centre watched an offensive onslaught by their Maple Leafs, before the second period was half over. Alexander Mogilny had two goals and an assist. Robert Reichel had a goal and two assists. Mikael Renberg had a goal and an assist.

From the Ducks’ seats, the view wasn’t pleasant.

“That was embarrassing, especially in Toronto,” Paul Kariya said. “To play like that anywhere is bad, but when you come to Toronto once a year and play like that, embarrassing is the only way to describe it.”

The Ducks gave the red carpet treatment on three Maple Leaf goals by turning the puck over in their own end.

Their offense was AWOL. The Maple Leafs had as many goals (five) as the Ducks did shots through the first 28 minutes. In the end, the Ducks were outshot, 31-22. Mike Leclerc managed the lone Duck goal, but it was little consolation.

“I don’t have any answers so don’t ask me anything,” Coach Bryan Murray said. “We had trouble moving the puck out of our end. We just have to get better at that. We keep talking about it.”

By their play, the Ducks seem to be turning a deaf ear. Shields, who faced 43 shots against Pittsburgh on Saturday, was put through the wringer again.

Reichel skated untouched from the Maple Leaf zone to the red line, then passed to Mogilny, who danced through the Duck zone and slipped a wrist shot under Shields’ left arm. Just 53 seconds into the game, Toronto had a 1-0 lead.

It got worse. The Ducks handed out scoring chances like they were free samples.

“Right now our confidence is fragile,” Kariya said. “From the forwards to the defense to the goaltenders, it’s not acceptable to play like that. Even in Pittsburgh the other night, we were up 3-0 than sat back and let Shields make the saves.”

Shields couldn’t cover for mistakes by others on Monday.

He was pulled after giving up Renberg’s goal, which made it 5-0 eight minutes into the second period. Ilja Bryzgalov, a 21-year-old rookie, replaced him and played well.

“When some guys are getting prepared to play and other guys are not, it hurts the whole team,” Shields said.

The Ducks trailed, 3-0, after the first period.

Duck defenseman Pavel Trnka turned the puck over behind the net. Renberg centered a pass that went off a Duck player and right to Jonas Hoglund, who chipped a shot past Shields for a 2-0 lead 12:51 into the period.

The Duck collapse came at the end of the period. After a scramble in front of the net, Gary Roberts got off a wrist shot that Shields got a skate on. But the puck went straight to Reichel, who flicked a shot into an open net.

Mogilny added his 400th career goal 1:14 into the second period and the rout was on. Said Kariya: “You’re not going to win many games when you play timid like we did tonight.”