Speaking Softly, With a Big Stick

Quick, take Rob Niedermayer’s pulse. Put a mirror in front of his face to see if it fogs up and proves he’s breathing

Niedermayer repeatedly insisted he was delighted to have scored the tying goal that paved the way for the Mighty Ducks’ 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday, extending their series lead to 2-0 and their incredible playoff run to 6-0. But if he was exhilarated about winning the game -- and keeping the overtime to a modest 1 minute 44 seconds, or about four periods shorter than the Ducks’ series-opening victory -- he hid it well behind a calm demeanor that suggested a sleepwalker.

“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “Dallas, they kind of limit your chances. I’m pretty excited, but it’s only two. They were in a pretty similar situation in the Edmonton series [in the first round]. They were in first place in the West for a reason.”

His voice rarely rose above a whisper, and if he was truly thrilled about yet another Duck playoff comeback, it wasn’t apparent. Not that his quiet manner surprised Bryan Murray, who was Florida’s general manager when the 6-foot-2, 205-pound center played for the Panthers and reacquired him at the March 11 trading deadline for minor leaguers Mike Commodore and J.F. Damphousse.

“There’s two things everybody always criticized Rob Niedermayer about,” Murray said. “One is he’s not an emotional guy, and the other thing, they always said he made too much money. He makes $300,000 more than the minimum [a salary of $2.1 million]. I think it’s legitimate. He’s taken the qualifying offer every year....

“He’s laid-back. Nothing’s a big deal. But he cares, and he’s a great player to have around.”

He was the right guy to have around Saturday against the muscular Stars. Petr Sykora, who had missed the net on a 25-footer while alone in the slot in the last few minutes of regulation time, simply threw the puck on net, hoping for a bounce or rebound or miracle. Niedermayer, sensing Sykora’s thoughts, darted in from the blue line for a shot that bounced off the skate of Stu Barnes and into the net.

“It was a lucky break,” Niedermayer said of his second playoff goal, scored with 1:09 to play in the third period.

“Sykora was battling and I just got the rebound.”

That qualifies as a lengthy speech for Niedermayer, whose older brother, Scott, is a defenseman with the New Jersey Devils. “He and Scott are a lot alike,” Murray said. “They don’t do spectacular things, but they really help their teams.”

Duck winger Paul Kariya said Niedermayer hasn’t changed since they grew up together in the Vancouver area and played on rival teams as teenagers in the bantam ranks. “He’s been great for us,” Kariya said. “He’s played the power play, penalty killing -- he does it all for us. Obviously he scored a big goal for us today, but he’s been awesome with us the whole time. It’s nice to see him rewarded.”

Niedermayer contributed merely two goals and four points in 12 regular-season games after he arrived from Calgary and had one goal and four points in five previous playoff games. “He’s a big, strong guy, a good skater and a good character guy,” Murray said. “He doesn’t score a lot of goals, but what he does is win battles. He uses that big body to protect the puck around the crease.

“The way our team was set up we needed his size and strength.”

Sometimes, strength can be manifested in determination and the sheer refusal to be moved, rather than a big, booming check. “He continues to play better and better,” defenseman Keith Carney said of Niedermayer. “His size and strength are a huge dimension for us. We didn’t have a lot of big, strong guys who can protect the puck well and take it to the net.”

They have one now in Niedermayer, although he’d never be so boastful as to say so.

“It’s been a great roll,” he said. “Right now, especially winning on the road and getting by Detroit and getting a lead on Dallas, it’s pretty exciting. We just have kind of a game plan and no matter what the score is, we stick with it....

“I don’t think anybody would have predicted this, but by the same token, look at how close all the games have been. A bounce here, a bounce there and things could be different.”

But things aren’t different. The situation is Ducks 2, Dallas 0, with the series moving to the Arrowhead Pond for Games 3 and 4 Monday and Wednesday. The Ducks are three-quarters of the way to the conference finals, and their assurance and poise grows with each triumph.

Maybe it’s better that Niedermayer stays in low-key character. If he laughed aloud or cracked a smile, it might break the spell the Ducks are casting.

“We hang in there,” he said, not quite smiling. “We just have to keep going.”