Duck Goalie Hopeful Impresses

The backup goaltender job for the Mighty Ducks appears to be Ilya Bryzgalov’s to lose.

Duck officials hoped Bryzgalov would grab the spot behind Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and the former 2000 second-round pick didn’t disappoint Saturday night during Anaheim’s 4-2 exhibition victory over the Canucks at Vancouver.

Bryzgalov stopped 20 of 22 shots in the game, with Vancouver’s goals coming on the power play.

Bryzgalov was 17-13-1 with a 2.60 goals-against average for Cincinnati of the American Hockey League last season. In his only NHL start on March 6, 2004, he stopped 26 of 28 shots in recording a 3-2 overtime victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Goalie Steve Shields, who was given a tryout by General Manager Brian Burke, has not made an exhibition start. Shields missed much of last week because of a strained upper body muscle.

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The Ducks trimmed their roster to 29 by assigning eight players to their AHL affiliate in Portland, Maine, including 2004 first-round draft pick Ladislav Smid. During camp and exhibition play, 19-year-old Smid displayed the offensive blue-line talents that made him the ninth overall pick last year. Also sent to Portland were centers Tim Brent, Aaron Gavey and Geoff Peters, wingers Craig Adams and Trevor Gillies and defensemen Nathan Saunders, Kent Huskins and Shane O’Brien.

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The Ducks’ local television package this season has 60 games televised by FSN West 2, including their season opener Oct. 5 at Chicago. Channel 9 also will televise four games.

OLN, the NHL’s cable outlet, will make the New York Ranger-Philadelphia Flyer game on Oct. 5 available to all cable and satellite providers.

Viewers who don’t already get OLN as part of their channel lineup should contact their provider for details.

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Left wing Jeff Friesen was traded to the Washington Capitals by the New Jersey Devils for a conditional 2006 draft pick.... Pavel Datsyuk signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings that will pay him $3.9 million per season.

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Times wire services contributed to this report.