Ducks Rise to the Occasion

When it was all said and done, Jonathan Hedstrom was left with the easy job.

How could Hedstrom feel any pressure on a penalty shot after the Mighty Ducks had already made an improbable climb back from two three-goal deficits Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche?

Besides, it wasn’t anything new for the second-year left wing, who calmly put a wrist shot between the legs of Avalanche goaltender Peter Budaj to put the finishing touch on a dramatic 5-4 overtime victory at the Arrowhead Pond.

Hedstrom’s goal was the second time in franchise history that the Ducks won on a penalty shot. Steve Thomas did it the first time in 2003 at Nashville.

It was Hedstrom’s first penalty shot as a Duck but not the first in his pro career. He managed to gain that type of experience while playing in Sweden last year.

“Last year, I scored nine goals on a penalty shot and every goal I shoot five-hole,” Hedstrom said. “I talked to Teemu [Selanne] a little bit. He said to shoot it where you’re most comfortable. That’s why I took the shot there.”

The experience came in handy in capping one of the largest come-from-behind victories in team history. It also gave the Ducks their fourth consecutive win as they continued their push up the Western Conference standings.

Only a few days ago, the Ducks (35-21-12) were looking at eight teams above them in the standings. Now they are in sixth, just one point behind the Avalanche with two games in hand.

“You have to credit the players,” Coach Randy Carlyle said. “It’s just an exclamation point to the resiliency they’ve proven throughout the season.

“Believe me, it’s more difficult at this time in the situation that we’re in. The points are much more important now.”

Hedstrom was awarded the penalty shot after skating around a diving Patrice Brisebois before being pulled down by defenseman Brett McLean as he went in alone on Budaj.

“It’s pretty nice to finish with a game-winner,” Hedstrom said.

These days, the Ducks aren’t fazed by any scenario their opponents throw at them, even on a night when goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was pulled after giving up consecutive first-period goals to Joe Sakic, McLean and Antti Laaksonen.

Pierre Turgeon scored early in the second period to give Colorado a 4-1 lead. The Ducks responded to the challenge by scoring three consecutive goals to force overtime.

Scott Niedermayer led the charge with two power-play goals for his first two-goal game as a Duck and the 10th of his career. Niedermayer’s second goal was the Ducks’ third with the man advantage and came only 27 seconds into the third.

“We faced a pretty big challenge there by digging ourselves that big hole early,” Niedermayer said. “But even if the outcome wasn’t a win tonight, it was important that we came back in the second and third period.”

Coming back wasn’t enough for a Duck team fast becoming known for its resiliency. Andy McDonald pulled the Ducks even at 7:03 of the third after a brilliant rush with Selanne and Chris Kunitz.

Niedermayer sent a pass to Kunitz, who began a game of tic-tac-toe on the ice with Budaj at their mercy. Kunitz fed McDonald, who dropped a pass to Selanne, who gave it to Kunitz before the left wing hit the crashing McDonald with a perfect feed for his seventh goal in nine games.

“It was great,” Niedermayer said. “A lot of heads-up passes. It was basically an empty net for Mac. It was fun to watch.”