Goalie Giguere Gets to Smile

Jean-Sebastien Giguere was feeling comfortable

Pucks were being chipped at him. Bodies were banging in front of him. Dallas’ Jason Arnott flew past him and into the net in the third period.

Giguere, the Mighty Ducks’ goaltender, lapped it up.

Best of all was the hug from team captain Steve Rucchin after a 3-1 victory over Dallas on Monday in front of 15,139 in the Arrowhead Pond. This was the type of game that allowed Giguere to smile in a season full of frowns.

“I like the action, I won’t lie,” said Giguere, who stopped 36 of 37 shots. “When there is a lot of action, I feel good. There is no time to think, only time to play.”

That feeling was infectious. The Ducks watched -- sometimes literally -- Giguere hold off the Stars during a first period in which the Ducks did not get a shot on net.

Sergei Fedorov caromed a goal into the net. Mike Leclerc, in his fourth game back from a knee injury, made the type of play that was a reminder of his value, when he set up Petr Sykora for a second-period goal.

Leclerc capped things off with an empty-net goal, the Ducks’ first this season.

But everything started with Giguere.

“When Jiggy plays like that, it gives you confidence,” Leclerc said. “When you got a guy back there who makes up for it when you screw up, it makes you play harder.”

The victory still left the Ducks nine points out of a playoff spot. The playoff hopes pretty much hinge on making an incredible run to close out the season.

What they took out of Monday’s game was the knowledge that their goaltender can play at a level that gives them a glimmer of hope.

“When you dig yourself a hole like we have, you need your goalie to do what J.S. is doing,” Coach Mike Babcock said. “He’s got to get on a run.”

Giguere has labored through much of the season. But in four games since the All-Star break, Giguere has won three games -- matching his win total for his previous 19 starts. He has given up seven goals in those four games.

“We’re starting to see the J.S. we’re all accustomed to seeing,” Rucchin said. “He is putting together a nice little string. He just has to keep going.”

The Ducks certainly gave Giguere the opportunity to get warmed up Monday. They sat back and let the Stars have at their goalie.

The Stars had a 13-2 edge in shots during the first period and both shots credited to the Ducks were acts of compassion -- one sailed wide of the net and the other never made it through to goalie Marty Turco.

Giguere kept the game scoreless, batting away shots and diving on loose pucks in front of the net. The only goal he gave up was on a Bill Guerin breakaway in the third period.

“That shows that he’s competing, it shows he’s focused, he’s come to play,” Rucchin said. “You see your goaltender battling like that, it makes you want to work.

“First, it shows we better wake up in front of him because he’s working a little too hard.”

The Ducks made it a little easier early in the second period. After getting credited for two phantom shots, their next two not only were on net, they went in the net.

On a power play, Fedorov attempted to center a pass, but the puck ricocheted off the skate of Dallas defenseman Teppo Numminen and into the net for a 1-0 lead 3 minutes 18 seconds into the second period.

The Ducks doubled that 19 seconds later.

Leclerc brought the puck into the zone, pulled up and zipped the puck to a charging Sykora, who chipped it in.