Ducks’ Opening Act Is Hit

At least Mighty Duck center Andy McDonald was in the U.S. a year ago, playing for minor league Cincinnati. He could take solace in the fact he was on the same continent with the NHL.

Alexei Smirnov was sweating it out with Moscow CSKA in the Russian Super League. Stanislav Chistov had it worse, cooling his heels in Moscow, mired in a dispute with his Russian team.

The distance they traveled intersected Thursday night, when the Ducks opened their season with a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Their play allowed the Ducks to win before an announced crowd of 16,927 even though Paul Kariya, Adam Oates and Petr Sykora went scoreless.

McDonald and Chistov each had a goal and three assists. Smirnov had a goal and one assist. As a result, the Ducks won for only the second time in 10 season openers.

It has been that kind of week in St. Louis. The Rams are 0-5. The Cardinals have lost the first two games in the National League championship series. And the Blues, the fourth-best team in the Western Conference last season, had their opener spoiled by a day-care line.

“It was quite a blessing,” Oates said. “They’re young guys. We have to tell them that it is not always this easy.”

The Ducks downplayed the victory.

“We had a bunch of kids who were excited,” first-year Coach Mike Babcock said. “Wait until they have to fly all over the world and see how excited they are about hockey.”

Chistov, who has flown around the world, seems familiar with the drill.

“It was a lucky game,” said Chistov, 19.

Even if it were, it was a welcomed sight for the Ducks, who lost 21 one-goal games last season. General Manager Bryan Murray went on a talent hunt this summer, trying to find some offense. He signed Oates and defenseman Fredrik Olausson and traded for Sykora.

Yet, it was two players signed in June who were most effective against the Blues. Chistov, the Ducks’ top pick in the 2001 draft, spent last year as a pawn, with his club team trying to keep him in Russia. Smirnov, 20, was the Ducks’ No. 1 pick in 2000, was out of sight, but was not out of mind after a brief appearance in training camp two seasons ago.

“Guys like that bring youthful enthusiasm,” Kariya said.

Babcock went for that youthful experience, juggling his lines midway through the first period. That brought McDonald, Chistov and Smirnov together.

“You can write down the lines down on paper all you want in the summer, but until you start playing the real games, you have to work those things out,” Babcock said. “I wasn’t really happy with the way our third line was playing in the first period.”

McDonald, 25 and the veteran of the three having played 53 games last season and 69 in his career, got things started in the second period. Chistov centered a pass to Mike Leclerc, who found McDonald alone by the left post. His power-play goal tied the score, 1-1, at 11:37 of the second period.

“This has been learning process for me,” said McDonald, who played well after being called up in December. “It was a necessary step for me to go to Cincinnati [last season], because of my size, I had to learn to be tougher on the puck.”

McDonald, who is 5 feet 10, put on 10 pounds during the off-season. He also was named Canada’s top forward at the World Championships last spring. He came to camp a known quantity.

“You can play anybody with Andy,” Babcock said.

Even if they don’t speak English.

“I think ‘Chip it in’ and ‘Chip it out,’ is all the English those guys know,” McDonald said.

Nothing was lost in the translation.

Chistov and Smirnov charged to the net in the second period. McDonald centered to Smirnov, who flicked it to Chistov, who buried a shot into the upper left-hand corner of the net for a 2-1 lead.

Smirnov struck next, again charging the net with Chistov. This time, Smirnov knocked in the puck, breaking a 2-2 tie 1:33 into the third period.

“He told me between the second and third period that he was going to score,” defenseman Ruslan Salei said. “He said he could feel it.”