Leclerc Leaves Guesswork Behind

Mike Leclerc has spent the last month playing a guessing game.

Whether he can play for the Mighty Ducks usually depends on 15 minutes of skating each game day. He loosens up in the dressing room, then takes the ice to test his tender left knee. This was hardly the game-day ritual he prefers.

So a moment such as Wednesday’s is special to his psyche, as well as the Ducks’ immediate future.

Leclerc’s knee felt good enough before the game and even better afterward, as his third-period goal propelled the Ducks to a 3-1victory over Montreal in front of an announced 12,022 at the Arrowhead Pond.

Leclerc ended a 1-1 tie, Patric Kjellberg gave the Ducks some breathing room with a goal a minute later and goalie Martin Gerber relished a rare offensive showing by teammates on his behalf.

The victory allowed the Ducks to move past Minnesota and into sixth place in the Western Conference. They are 10 points ahead of ninth-place Nashville in a run to the playoffs that began Jan 9.

The Ducks have a 17-8-1-1 record since then. Leclerc, though, has enjoyed little of that while trying to play through pain. He had a career-high 20 goals in 2001-02, which he hoped would be a break-through season.

That hasn’t happened, as Leclerc sat out 21 of 31 games from late November through late January.

“It’s hard to show up at the rink every day knowing you are only half yourself,” Leclerc said. “It was nice to have a chance to help the team win.”

He was on the ice and in the right spot at the right time for the Ducks on Wednesday. Defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski put the puck on net and Leclerc, goal hanging, managed to redirect the puck past Jose Theodore to end a 1-1 time 8 minutes 32 seconds into the third period.

“It’s been a while since I had a chance to tip one like that,” Leclerc said. “I just went to the net and stayed there and hoped the puck would get through. I never saw the shot. I just saw the goalie look back and the fans stand up.”

It was the third goal for Leclerc in his last 16 games. He has six this season.

Leclerc’s goal seemed to loosen the Ducks up. A minute later, Steve Rucchin scooped up the puck behind the net, skated out and found Patric Kjellberg alone in the slot. His one-timer gave the Ducks’ a 3-1 lead and gave Gerber a rare evening, one where the Ducks scored goals.

Gerber, making his 15th start, has deserved better this season. He began the game with a 2.05 goals-against average and .922 save percentage, both of which are better than starter Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Gerber has given up two or fewer goals in 12 of his 15 starts, yet has won only three of those games.

“I’ve lost too many times,” Gerber said. “No one cares how you lose a game, just that you lost it.”

Gerber stopped 24 of 25 shots against the Canadiens. The only shot that got past him was a one-timer by Saku Koivuthat tied the score, 1-1, 18:37 into the first period.

Petr Sykora gave the Ducks the lead18:07 into the first period. It was Sykora’s team-high 25th goal.