Positive Point Comes Out of Loss

There was little consolation after Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres, but the Mighty Ducks found some positives in a solid effort lost among the two blown leads in the third period.

The Ducks, one of the NHL’s most penalized teams, took a season-low two minors but one came back to haunt them as Todd Marchant’s hooking penalty in overtime led to a game-winning power-play goal by forward Maxim Afinogenov.

By making it to overtime, the Ducks got a point despite having lost 1-0 and 2-1 leads to a quality team that has gone 10-1-1 in its last 12 games.

“We shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place,” Marchant said of the overtime. “We got a point on the road, which I guess is the positive we take from this.”

It was a vastly improved effort over their previous game, a 6-2 loss at home to Carolina that Coach Randy Carlyle called their worst game of the season.

Forward Rob Niedermayer said that kind of off night was slowing their effort to keep pace in a highly competitive Pacific Division. Dallas has overtaken the Kings for first place and Phoenix is a surprising third.

Rejuvenated San Jose has won four in a row since acquiring center Joe Thornton and can drop the Ducks to last place with a victory tonight over Carolina and a Duck loss to Montreal.

“Everyone ahead of us is winning, and you can’t afford to have games like that,” Niedermayer said. “We have to be really ready to play every game.”

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Left wing Petr Sykora practiced Friday, but the veteran’s days with the club remain numbered.

Sykora is expected to be in the lineup tonight after being held out against the Sabres as General Manager Brian Burke worked on a move to unload the struggling forward. The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers have been among those rumored to be interested.

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Burke and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of baby girl, Fiona Grace, born Thursday at St. Jude Hospital in Orange.... Al Coates, Duck senior vice president, will serve as general manager for Canada’s entry in the Spengler Cup, Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland. The Spengler Cup is the oldest international tournament for club teams.

TONIGHT

at Montreal, 4 PST, FSNW2

Site -- Bell Centre.

Radio -- 1090.

Records -- Ducks 12-12-5, Canadiens 15-7-5.

Record vs. Canadiens (2003-04) -- 0-1-0.

Update -- Montreal captain Saku Koivu, who has a team-leading 26 points, will not be in the lineup against the Ducks. Koivu has sat out the last two games because of a groin injury. Defenseman Andrei Markov will return after a three-game suspension for shoving a referee.