Wanted: Top Offensive Player

The off-season to-do list for Mighty Duck General Manager Pierre Gauthier--should he return--is to find an offensive force.

Numbers don’t lie and 255 goal-less power plays say a lot.

The Ducks have had more opportunities than any other team in the league and only the Pittsburgh Penguins rank lower on the power play. Something is missing in the lineup ... something big.

“There is some skill on the power play, but we don’t make the patient play,” Coach Bryan Murray said. “We don’t have that person who seems to want to buy time for us, make the creative play and give us a chance to score a goal.”

The answer is obvious to the players and their coach.

There are so many reasons the Ducks need a big, skilled player, and the power play ranks high on that list.

The Ducks were blanked on three power-play tries in the first period Sunday, when the game with Dallas was scoreless. One goal might have changed things considerably.

“We just got out-battled on our power play last night,” left wing Mike Leclerc said. “When we got the puck deep, we got out-battled in corners and they were able to keep icing [the puck] down.”

The Ducks have two power-play goals in their last 26 opportunities. There have been similar streaks this season. They haven’t scored a power-play goal in 33 of their 60 games this season.

How much would one power-play goal have meant in those 33 games? In 14, the Ducks either lost by a goal or were tied.

“The couple of guys who have the ability to score [power-play] goals on this hockey team are smaller guys,” Murray said. “We miss on the first chance and we have a hard time winning battles. That’s a very obvious thing.”

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The Ducks face Calgary Wednesday night. A match-up that may not send either team gently into the Olympic break.

The two teams had a memorable fight-filled battle on Dec. 8 in Calgary. They had fewer incidents in a Jan. 19 game, but there was enough payback fights and chippy play that could make Wednesday’s game interesting should it become a rout.

“I don’t have any special feelings toward them, I really don’t,” said Duck tough guy Kevin Sawyer, who has been suspended twice this season. “Actually, right now, I’m trying to focus on holding back a little bit. I don’t want to get suspended again.”

Chris Foster