Mighty Ducks Join the Fortune .500

Reaching .500 in November normally is not something to cheer about, but when you’re the Mighty Ducks, it’s definitely a move in the right direction.

That’s why Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Minnesota felt so good for the Ducks, who improved to 6-6-3-0 behind a first-period goal from rookie Stanislav Chistov and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s first shutout this season.

“We look at it as kind of a stepping point,” Duck forward Matt Cullen said of the team, which is 4-1-1 in its last six games. “We’ve reached .500 and now we don’t want to go back below it because it’s a point that is tough to get back to.”

In front of an announced 14,070 at the Arrowhead Pond, Giguere put on a show, making one timely save after another to finish with 26 and frustrate the road-weary Wild, which played Saturday night at San Jose.

It was the type of effort Giguere didn’t give the Ducks at the start of the season, when he opened with a 1-5-2 record and a .890 save percentage.

“I wasn’t happy with the way the season started for myself,” said Giguere, who has stopped 127 of 134 shots in his last four starts. “I thought that I had to bring the level of my conditioning up a little bit and I’m battling a little harder. When you do that, you make yourself luckier and a little better.”

Minnesota, which in only its third season has the most points in the league with 22, had reason to be a little tired. The Wild, which completed its victory over the Sharks less than 20 hours before the start of Sunday’s game, was playing the final game of a four-game West Coast trip that began Monday with a 5-2 victory over the Kings at Staples Center.

The Ducks, who have won three in a row, jumped to an early lead after Chistov, selected fifth overall in the 2001 draft, scored on the type of play that always seems to come easy for goal scorers.

Petr Sykora got the play started when he fired a shot from deep in the right corner that goaltender Manny Fernandez slapped with his stick. The puck rolled into the slot where Chistov stood alone. Then, just as Chistov wound up to shoot, Fernandez was knocked to the ice by Duck forward Andy McDonald, leaving the net open for a 1-0 Duck lead 6:35 into the first period.

“I turned and saw the puck come to me and then I shoot,” Chistov said of his fourth score this season. “It was an easy goal.”

Meanwhile, Giguere was on top of his game. With nearly seven minutes remaining in the second period, he made several impressive saves.

Giguere, who had given up only seven goals in his previous three starts, made consecutive stops on former Duck Richard Park and Wild defenseman Nick Schultz.

A minute later, Giguere stopped Minnesota’s leading scorer, Marion Gaborik, who had a solid scoring chance from outside the left post.

The Ducks made things difficult for themselves when they gave the Wild two power-play opportunities in the first four minutes of the third period, on a slashing penalty on Paul Kariya and a holding penalty on Ruslan Salei.

But again, Giguere and the Duck defense were up to the task. Giguere had to make only two stops, the most dangerous against right wing Sergei Zholtak from the slot.

From there, the Ducks dominated as they kept pressure on Fernandez, who finished with 36 saves.

“In the third period we went after it instead of backing off, which is really important,” Duck Coach Mike Babcock said. “This was a good test for us.”

The Ducks will hit the road for a five-game trip that will begin at New Jersey on Tuesday.

“More than momentum for the road trip, [this victory means] momentum for our team,” Babcock said. “We’re taking steps, not big steps, but they are steps and getting better. We’re finding out more about our team.”