Gerber Is Clinging to the Nets

Mighty Duck Coach Mike Babcock answered without hesitation after his team’s 4-2 loss to the Kings on Saturday.

“Gerbs will play,” Babcock said.

That puts Martin Gerber in goal for the Ducks on Wednesday against the Kings and playoff most valuable player Jean-Sebastien Giguere on the bench. It will be Gerber’s third start in four games.

This has been a delicate situation for the Ducks. Giguere spent two seasons elevating himself to NHL goalie royalty, with his playoff performance as the crowning moment. Yet, it is Gerber who has played like a No. 1 goalie this season, with a 2.07 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

Gerber, though, tap-dances around the issue of who should be in net as the Ducks try to salvage a season gone wrong.

“I don’t know about that right now,” Gerber said. “We have to get points. It doesn’t matter how we get them or who is in the lineup. We need points. That should be our focus right now.”

Although Gerber had produced a tie and a victory in his previous two starts, Giguere was given the start Saturday because, Babcock said, “it was our third game in four nights.” But for the most part, who plays comes down to one thing.

“We have told both goalies that if you win, you keep playing,” Babcock said.

Giguere has a 3-12-4 record since stringing together three consecutive victories, a streak that ended Nov. 16. He has given up 42 goals in those 12 losses.

Gerber has given up two goals or fewer in 13 of his 18 starts this season. He has given up only seven goals in his last five starts.

“All I can do is show the organization that I can do more for this team and go from there,” said Gerber, who is in his second season in the NHL.

Whether Gerber has the stamina to endure the grind of being No. 1 is unknown. He has only 44 NHL games under his belt.

“You never know,” said Francois Allaire, the Ducks’ goaltending consultant. “But Dominik Hasek was a backup in Buffalo. Then Grant Fuhr got hurt, and Hasek was there for eight seasons.”

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Duck rookie forward Joffrey Lupul said he was honored to be chosen for the NHL young stars game during the All-Star weekend. He also sounded like an autograph hound.

“One of the best things will be being there for the big game,” Lupul said. “I’ll get to see some of the guys I have been watching on TV my whole life.”