Chistov, Thomas Are in Sync

A generation gap has skated circles around Mighty Duck opponents the last two games.

Stanislav Chistov was 18 months old in Russia when Steve Thomas began his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in November 1984. Now they are together on the ice, after Thomas was acquired in a trade with Chicago on Tuesday.

Thomas has three goals since then and Chistov has assisted on two of them, including the overtime winner against San Jose on Thursday.

“I always said that it would be time to call it quits when there were guys in the league now that weren’t even born when I was playing,” said Thomas, 39. “[Instead], it just gives me that much more confidence and gives me the belief that I can still play.”

Chistov has enjoyed the experience as well, although he smiled and said, “Steve is really old, huh?”

But they’ve been a nice fit. Chistov is a slick passer and Thomas a gritty pest around the net.

“Steve told me to just shoot the puck to the net, he’ll be there,” said Chistov, who will celebrate his 20th birthday next month, during the Stanley Cup playoffs. “It is good to play with him. He has been around a long time.”

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Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere needs one more victory to tie Guy Hebert’s team record, set in 1998-99.

“If someone told me in training camp that I would get 30 wins this season, I would have taken it right then,” Giguere said. “Just getting the 30 means a lot to me. It is a reflection on how good the team has played. When the team is doing well, you’re going to have good personal stats.”

The Ducks also need one more victory to tie the franchise record of 36, set in 1996-97.

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Thomas has scored the goals, but Rob Niedermayer, the Ducks’ other acquisition Tuesday, has been just as effective while skating with Adam Oates and Petr Sykora.

“He has been getting the body on people and creating scoring chances,” Coach Mike Babcock said. “He is also a real good shutdown player against the other team’s best players. That has been more his role in the past, but we would like to have him expand on that.”

TONIGHT

at Phoenix, 6 PST

Fox Sports Net 2

Site -- America West Arena.

Radio -- KPLS (830).

Records -- Ducks 35-25-8-4, Coyotes 27-30-9-4.

Record vs. Coyotes -- 2-1-1.

Update -- The Ducks play four of their next five games on the road. “I think it’s good for us to go on the road now, because we’re going to have to start on the road when the playoffs start,” said Babcock.