Is It Too Late to Scrape Off the Rust?

The main question for the Mighty Ducks heading into the Western Conference finals was how sharp would they be with an eight-day break after their four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the second round.

It was apparent that the rest affected their execution in the first two games against the Edmonton Oilers at home. As the series shifted to Edmonton, the Ducks used their fresher legs to their advantage and now feel they have momentum after a 6-3 win in Game 4 on Thursday.

“I said all the way that we were going to be a little rusty and then it’s going to be really, really important in the long run,” forward Teemu Selanne said Friday. “Hopefully that’s going to be the case.

“I really believe the fresher legs you have, the better chance you have to win because you’re stronger on the battles and you do the right things more.”

In Games 3 and 4, the Ducks had an overwhelming 84-45 shot advantage and were more effective with their forechecking game. Not surprisingly, given those numbers, they’ve been able to get nine goals past Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson, who limited them to one each in Games 1 and 2.

“We haven’t found anything that we think he’s weak at,” said forward Joffrey Lupul, who had two goals in Game 4. “We got enough pucks at him and they finally just started going in.”

Edmonton had one day to prepare for the Ducks after defeating the San Jose Sharks in six games. Tonight, the Oilers will be playing their 11th playoff game in the last 21 days.

Oilers center Shawn Horcoff said flu-like symptoms that affected many of the players this week have taken some toll.

“The flu hit us hard,” Horcoff said. “Teams might not believe it, but it was tough on a lot of guys. It takes your energy away. I think it caught up to us at the end of Game 3.”

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Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle tried different line combinations as the team struggled early in the regular season and he has done the same in the playoffs.

Most notably in Edmonton, Carlyle broke up the top line of Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald and Selanne. In Game 4, Selanne played with center Todd Marchant and left wing Dustin Penner, and the trio accounted for six points.

McDonald started with Kunitz and Lupul but ended the game alongside Travis Moen and Corey Perry. Lupul played with both Marchant and center Ryan Getzlaf.

“Well, things weren’t going our way in the offensive side of it so you have to, and I think it’s the coach’s responsibility to try to change things however you do that,” Carlyle said.

Selanne, who formed a prolific partnership with McDonald during the season, said he isn’t worried about the changes.

“I think it’s good to shake up the lines a little bit and get some more fresh things out there,” he said. “It’s not a big deal.”

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The Ducks’ victory ended Edmonton’s seven-game playoff winning streak, its longest since 1990 when it won its last Stanley Cup. The Oilers say that it was a lesson learned.

“It was a product of us getting a little complacent in our game and we started to take shortcuts,” center Michael Peca said.