Ducks draw line on Wild

Entering their first-round playoff series against Minnesota, a large portion of the Ducks’ plan dealt with defending the Wild’s scoring combination of Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra.

Within that plan, a great deal of responsibility fell to center Samuel Pahlsson and hard-checking linemates Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen.

With the Ducks up, 2-0, in the best-of-seven series and Gaborik and Demitra accounting for a combined four points, it’s easy to say that Pahlsson and Co. have been doing their jobs well entering tonight’s Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center.

“They have done their jobs all year,” veteran forward Teemu Selanne said about the Ducks’ grind line. “They control with their cycling and their defense has always been there against the top lines all the time. It’s never easy but I think that they’ve done a great job.

“Three bulls on the same line. It’s working.”

In the Ducks’ 2-1 victory in Game 1, Gaborik and Demitra combined for six shots on goal. But neither player was allowed much room to work after Demitra scored the game’s opening goal, thanks to the relentless physical play of the Ducks’ grinders.

“I know that I have to respect them because they are skilled players, who are really fast with the puck,” Pahlsson said Saturday after the Ducks’ workout at the Honda Center.

“I know that they can beat you at any time, so you have to be ready.”

At 6-feet and 212 pounds, Pahlsson might not look as imposing as his 6-2 wingers, but he uses his combination of quickness and strength to harass top-line forwards as well as anyone in the NHL.

Defenseman Scott Niedermayer said he learned about Pahlsson’s toughness when he played for the New Jersey Devils against the Ducks in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals.

“I hadn’t played against him a whole lot and then we were in the finals playing against them,” Niedermayer said. “He was always the guy you could count on finishing you in the corner, finishing the check. I had a lot of respect for him after that series.”

Pahlsson’s willingness to do whatever necessary was evident Friday in the final minutes of Game 2.

With the Ducks clinging to a 3-2 lead, the Wild tried to get as many scoring opportunities as possible for Gaborik, who had scored his only goal of the series in the second period, and Demitra.

But the Ducks’ Pahlsson-led line, along with defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, kept Minnesota scoreless down the stretch.

“You have to play a team game in order to win,” said Pahlsson, who had an assist on Francois Beauchemin’s power-play goal in the first period on Friday.

“We managed to win two games but we still need two more. We know that we’re going to have to play better because they are a much better team at home.”

After watching his team get physically dominated over the first two games of the series, Minnesota Coach Jacque Lemaire said the Wild will be ready.

“We talk about grit, we talk about fighting, we talk about hitting and, you know, let’s be honest, everyone sees the game: They have a bigger team, it’s more their game than our game,” said Lemaire, whose Wild defeated the Ducks twice in St. Paul during the regular season.

“That’s our battles that we have to win.... I think we do our share of hitting. But we want our guys to be strong on the puck.”

The Ducks are expecting a better effort from the Wild tonight on the power play. Over the first two games, Minnesota was 0 for 10 when playing with a man advantage.

“Penalty killing and power play are always at the forefront in the playoffs, and right now, we’ve had some fortunate bounces and our goaltender has made some big stops,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “We expect them to make some changes. It’s the game within the game.”

Pahlsson said the key for the Ducks will be playing with the same intensity as they did at the Honda Center, which featured back-to-back boisterous crowds.

“I don’t know why, but we get more done at home,” said Pahlsson, who led the Ducks with 181 hits during the regular season. “Maybe it’s easier because we have our home fans cheering for us, and we are familiar with everything that comes from playing at home.

“But we need to have the little bit of energy [tonight] ... it’s always special to get the boo birds out on the road.

“When you do that, you know you did good.”

lonnie.white@latimes.com