Ducks Defeat Coyotes in OT

Mighty Duck goalie Steve Shields knew the odds were long that anything good would happen when he was pulled late in regulation for an extra skater.

He was thrilled with the results.

Steve Rucchin scored with 37 seconds left in regulation and German Titov scored with 1:02 remaining in overtime for a 2-1 victory by the Ducks over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night.

“We’ve pulled the goalie a ton of times this year, and we finally got one,” Shields said. “It’s not a very high-percentage play to do, but it’s your best chance.”

The Coyotes took a 1-0 lead when Claude Lemieux scored with 5:00 remaining in the third period, but goalie Robert Esche, who had 26 saves at that point, gave up goals on the Ducks’ last two shots--the second one after Lemieux gave up the puck trying to get a pass to Brian Savage.

“We’re in overtime, we’re cheating and trying to get the extra point, so you try fancy stuff,” Lemieux said. “You try passes you usually don’t try when it’s not in overtime. You know, these guys are playing loose, they’ve got nothing to lose, and it cost us the point.”

The Ducks’ fourth victory over Phoenix in five games this year prevented the Coyotes from tying the franchise record of nine consecutive wins at home, set by the 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets. But they still earned their NHL-best 23rd point in 15 games (10-2-1-2) since the Olympic break.

Rucchin came in for Shields on the last-ditch effort by Coach Bryan Murray to get a goal.

Rucchin wound up with the puck after Phoenix defenseman Todd Simpson tried to clear it from behind his net. It banged off the boards, hit Titov’s skate, flew out to the slot and Rucchin blasted a one-timer past Esche.

Titov took an inside-out pass from Samuel Pahlsson, who wound up with Lemieux’s turnover, as he skated across the slot. He turned and fired, netting the game-winner.

“We got a bit of good play off the backboard and the puck came right to the slot,” Murray said. “So it’s not that they gave anything up. It’s just that we got the extra man out there, and it was the extra man that I put on the ice that scored the goal, so it was pretty tough to cover that.”

Lemieux scored on a wraparound, beating Shields between the skates.

Although the teams met for the second time in 24 hours--Phoenix won, 4-2. on Wednesday--the game was relatively calm through two periods, with only three penalties called.

The Ducks picked up the pace after killing Phoenix’s second power play with 6:33 left in the second.

In the next two minutes, the Ducks outshot Phoenix, 6-1, but Esche preserved the scoreless tie with strong saves, including pad stops on Matt Cullen from close range and on Jeff Friesen, who spun and fired in the slot.

The Ducks killed two Phoenix power plays early in the third, and the teams skated defensively until the late fireworks.

“The script was going perfect, and someone changed the ending on us,” Coyote Coach Bob Francis said.