Ducks Are Put in Place

Everyone knew this was going to take the Mighty Ducks a little time--OK a lot of time--to rise from the depths.

The Dallas Stars, on the other hand, seem to have been rebuilt in a moment. Bill Guerin’s signature wasn’t dry on the contract and the Stars were back among the NHL elite.

That was clear Friday, as Guerin’s two goals and two assists gave the Stars a 4-2 victory Friday in front of 18,532 at the American Airlines Center.

The Ducks worked hard, especially late, and got an unlucky bounce.

The Stars worked harder, from the start, and received a kind bounce.

Guerin outworked everyone and bounced bodies. He had a Gordie Howe hat trick--a goal, an assist and a fight--in the second period alone.

“The guy is the total package,” Duck forward Matt Cullen said.

The Ducks were coming off a season-opening victory over St. Louis on Thursday, but could only admire Guerin and the Stars’ handiwork.

Of course, that was part of the problem, their coach said.

“It looked to me at the start we were in awe and way too respectful at the start of the game,” Mike Babcock said. “When you show that much respect for the opposition, you don’t show any respect for yourself.

“Our power play had one goal tonight and we had layups for empty nets. They came through our neutral zone forecheck like we weren’t there. Is that because we’re in awe? Is that because it’s early and we played last night?”

Or is it because the Ducks were playing a team that is significantly improved?

Last season, the Stars missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995-96. Like the Ducks, they needed to change. The difference was, the Stars were already higher on the NHL food chain.

They signed Guerin, brought in King assistant Dave Tippett as head coach and did some nips and tucks. The team that obstructed its way to the Stanley Cup championship in 1998-99 was a threat offensively.

Goalie Ed Belfour packed and hauled his baggage to Toronto, clearing the way for understudy Marty Turco, who stopped 24 of 26 shots and had Star fans chanting his name Friday.

“That’s as good a Dallas team as I’ve seen,” Cullen said.

Dallas led, 1-0, midway through the second period, when Guerin took a cross-ice pass from Mike Modano and ripped a shot between the legs of goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was pulled after two periods in favor of rookie Martin Gerber.

Later in the period, Guerin burst into the Duck zone and fired a shot that hit the side of the net and somehow bounced in front of the net. Modano knocked home the strange ricochet for a 3-0 lead.

When the puck was dropped on the ensuing faceoff, Guerin and Kevin Sawyer tangled. Guerin, who assisted on Sergei Zubov’s first-period goal, had an empty-net goal to clinch things.

“The cream always rises,” said Stars’ owner Tom Hicks, whose free-agent dealings with his Texas Rangers in baseball haven’t worked out as well.

The Ducks were left to bemoan chances that got away.

With the game scoreless in the first period, Adam Oates seemed to have a sure goal on a power play.

Steve Rucchin’s pass left Oates with the whole right side of the net open. But Turco dived frantically to smother the shot.

On a second-period power play, Paul Kariya whipped a shot from the slot only to hit the post.

The Ducks were one for five on the power play.

“I’d bet good money on Paul with a shot like that,” Oates said. “It’s hard not to get frustrated. You create chances like that, you like to think you’re going to get one.”

The Ducks came on late, getting Rucchin’s goal and another by Cullen.

“You got to play when the game is on the line,” Babcock said. “It was out there at the start. We had our chances. We didn’t execute.”