A Rare Trade Win Is Enjoyed by the Ducks

Some nights the best-laid plans work.

Just over a year has passed since the March 5 trade when the Mighty Ducks shipped the popular Teemu Selanne to San Jose. The deal never looked better than in a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in front of an announced 15,051 at the Arrowhead Pond on Friday night.

The Ducks received a return on the players they got for Selanne. Jeff Friesen had a goal and an assist, skating for only the second game with Paul Kariya and Steve Rucchin. Goalie Steve Shields did everything but put a condemned sign on the net.

OK, so the deal hasn’t taken to the Ducks to the promised land, merely helped get them out of the cellar in the Western Conference--and into 14th place. Friesen has struggled at times. Shields has played well, but is a backup to Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

None of that mattered Friday.

Shields was brilliant. He kept the Ducks from collapsing in the first period, stopping all Devil 19 shots. Shields, who has been dangled as trade bait, stopped 44 of 45 shots in the game.

Friesen, Kariya and Rucchin seem a nice fit, especially with Rucchin out of the emergency room and back on the ice. They combined for two goals, one that broke a 1-1 tie 2 minutes 17 seconds into the third period.

“We thought that was going to be the group the whole year,” Friesen said. “For whatever reason, there were a lot different experiments since Day 1 of training camp. That’s the way it goes.”

The threesome was united for the first time Wednesday against Atlanta and produced two goals, both by Kariya. They had two more Friday, giving the Ducks their ninth victory in the last 13 games.

“They are a veteran group,” Duck Coach Bryan Murray said. “Friesen gives us speed. Kariya gives us skill and speed and scoring. Rucchin gives us a big body that plays the game real honest.”

That was illustrated on a power play early in the third period. Friesen raced into the Devil zone and fed Rucchin, who muscled a defender, spun and slipped a pass to Kariya by the side of the net. Kariya hammered home a one-timer to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

“Hopefully we’ll play well, score some goals, have some fun,” Friesen said.

The trio skated together on the first day of training camp but were split up the next day, as Murray had to mix and match his lines, trying to squeeze what he could from an offense-challenged bunch.

Then Rucchin, who missed 66 games due to injuries last season, missed 44 after suffering a broken ankle. He returned Feb. 27.

“I don’t know that Steve Rucchin over his career has gotten the recognition he should have because he played with Kariya and Selanne,” Murray said. “Everyone gave them all the marks for being the talent and he was the plugger. He’s more than that.”

Rucchin proved that in the first period, taking a pass at the blue line from Jason York and splitting two Devil players. Rucchin passed to a wide-open Friesen, who gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead 16:40 into the first period.

Shields kept the Ducks from being skated out of the arena in the first period.

The Devils had one golden chance after another, but Shields kept all out of the net.

Bobby Holik had five quality shots in the period, including two in a flurry where Shields stopped three point-blank shots in a matter of seconds. Shields stoned Jason Arnott on a breakaway in the second period.

Holik fired a cross-ice pass to Scott Niedermayer, who lined up a shot that beat Shields into the upper left of the net to tie the score, 1-1, 12:15 into the second period.