Ducks’ Chances Trickle Away

Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere twisted and arched his body as much as he could. But there was no way that he could keep the puck out of the net.

Phoenix’s Shane Doan missed the net by so much with a shot that the puck caromed perfectly to teammate Radoslav Suchy. He, in turn, shanked a shot terribly, sending the puck fluttering, glancing off Giguere’s shoulder and dropping just over the goal line 1 minute 20 seconds into overtime.

The result was a 4-3 loss to the Coyotes in front of an announced crowd of 15,117 at the America West Arena on Saturday and another night in which what the Ducks wanted was just out of reach.

They settled for a point in the standings and tried to downplay a fourth consecutive loss.

“It was a lucky goal,” Anaheim’s Sergei Fedorov said. “I thought we worked hard and did everything we could. That goal, there is nothing you can do about that.

“I’m not frustrated. I think we’re playing with confidence. There are a few things we have to take care of.”

There were moments that should give the Ducks confidence. Steve Rucchin scored two goals. Giguere showed flashes of his playoff self, especially during the difficult first period, when he made 13 saves.

Yet there were the same concerns that have hounded the Ducks for much of the season. The Coyotes, who ended a nine-game winless streak, scored two goals off turnovers, including the game winner.

“It was a battle all night,” said Giguere, who stopped 31 of 35 shots. “We didn’t show up in the first period.... It’s unacceptable to give up goals on turnovers. We have to be better. That’s not just one person, that’s not just the defense, that’s everybody.”

These were teams laboring to halt skids. The Coyotes had not won since starting the season with three consecutive victories, going 0-6-3 in that time.

“It should have been two desperate teams,” Duck Coach Mike Babcock said. “What happens to them? They get the monkey off their back.”

The gorilla, meanwhile, remains on Giguere’s shoulders. He has one victory in eight starts. He deserved better.

He made a brilliant toe save on Doan to keep the score tied 16 minutes into the third period. He then got beat on a pinball-like play that resulted in Suchy’s goal.

“It hit my shoulder and [the puck] seemed to just trickle in,” Giguere said. “It was a lucky bounce. But when you work hard, you get bounces going your way.”

Things had been going the Ducks’ way early.

Rob Niedermayer scored his team-high sixth goal for a 1-0 lead 1:34 into the game. Rucchin battled and scraped in front of the net, which produced two power-play goals.

But the Ducks twice let one-goal leads slip away.

Doan then drilled home a shot on a five-on-three power play to tie the score at 4:02. Late in the second period, Keith Carney, the Ducks’ top defenseman, lost the puck and Ladislav Nagy buried a slick pass from Daymond Langkow to tie the score.

“There’s a theme right there,” Babcock said. “Your puck toughness at your blue line and their blue line is just critical to have success in this league.

“We came on the road here tonight and got a tie is what you call it. The bottom line is you turn the puck over in overtime, they just throw it at the net, get a break, and it’s in the back of the net. It’s been the same old story. That’s how it’s been for us.”