Ducks Find Right Line

Forward Petr Sykora reacted quite sheepishly last week when names were being tossed out for the Mighty Ducks’ hottest line.

“You have to skate together 50 games before anyone names your line,” said Sykora, a member of the dangerous A-line while with New Jersey.

All that may remain is the waiting.

Sykora, Adam Oates and Paul Kariya continued to play to their excessive abilities Wednesday in a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in front of an announced 13,230 at the Arrowhead Pond.

For the fans who actually used their tickets Wednesday, it was a pleasant reminder of better days at the Pond, when the Ducks had a quality line worth the hefty price of admission.

In those days, Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne could give the Ducks a piggyback ride for long stretches. The Ducks have been living off an another trio in recent weeks -- Kariya, Oates and Sykora. Those three, plus Rucchin at his goal-hanging best, moved the Ducks within a point of eighth in the Western Conference.

Kariya and Oates scored goals, with Sykora getting two assists and Kariya one. Rucchin, battling Ottawa’s Chris Phillips in front of the net, then provided the winner. Niclas Havelid fired a shot that went off Rucchin’s skate and into the net at 14 minutes 48 seconds of the third period.

“I saw Nick was going to shoot and I just got to the net,” Rucchin said. “l would like to say I had a nice backhander and went top shelf, but I got lucky and the puck hit my skate.”

There was nothing lucky about the Ducks’ performance. They had one of their best performances of the season against a quality opponent. The Senators may be the Bankrupt Beast From the East, but their financial troubles have not trickled down to the ice.

Twice, the Ducks let one-goal leads get away Wednesday. Yet they refused to fold. They killed Marc Chouinard’s tripping penalty with five minutes left, then survived a flurry around the net in the final minute after the Senators pulled goalie Patrick Lalime.

Ottawa came into the game with the second-best power play in the NHL. But the Senators had only one shot on goal on their first three power plays Wednesday.

“We coughed up a couple leads, but we never panicked,” Oates said. “These are the type of games you need to win in a playoff race.”

Kariya, Oates and Sykora put the Ducks in a solid position. They have 10 goals and 16 assists in the nine games since they were teamed together. They combined for 12 shots against the Senators.

“When they are playing at this high of level, they are making passes no one else can even think about,” center Matt Cullen said. “They are creating things every time they are out there. It’s unbelievable. It’s a lot like the days when Paul, Steve and Teemu were together.”

The scary part is the trio thinks it can do more.

“One of these games we’re really going to break out,” Oates said.

Kariya got the Ducks in motion early in the second period. Keith Carney made the extra effort, diving to chip the puck out of the corner to Sykora, who fed Kariya in the neutral zone. Kariya proceeded to twist 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara into a variety of shapes before cutting across ice and whipping a shot past Lalime for a 1-0 lead at 4:15.

It was Kariya’s fourth goal in five games since ending a career-high 12-game goal-less streak.

Mike Fisher redirected a Karel Rachunek shot past Jean-Sebastian Giguere to tie the score at 11:59.

Two minutes later, defenseman Ruslan Salei set up to the right of Lalime and flicked a shot on net. Oates extended his stick and managed to get enough of the puck to slip it between Lalime and the post for a 2-1 lead. Kariya also assisted on the goal.

“This was a good win for us,” Kariya said. “This was one of the best teams in the league and we got two points out of it.”