Power outage for the Ducks

From a personnel standpoint for a power play, it’s hard to beat who the Ducks put on the ice.

Execution is a different matter, and the presence of sharpshooters Chris Pronger and Teemu Selanne and playmakers Scott Niedermayer and Andy McDonald currently isn’t putting a chill in the opposition.

The combination of a dormant power play and the stellar goaltending of Dallas rookie Mike Smith resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Stars on Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Center.

The current statistics show the Ducks with the third-best power play in the NHL, but their play with the man advantage in the last four games has been nonexistent.

At the moment, they’re in an 0-for-16 drought. Six tries against Dallas came up empty, three of which came in the decisive third period. A final six-on-four situation over the last 36 seconds resulted in no shot on goal.

Meanwhile, the Stars’ Jussi Jokinen got the game-winner at 4 minutes 13 seconds of the third with Ducks left wing Travis Moen in the penalty box for interference.

“Nothing’s going right on the power play,” Pronger said. “It’s a big part of winning hockey games. We’re giving up power-play goals and we’re not scoring on the power play. Really, over the last little while, that’s what is beating us.”

Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle didn’t offer any excuses afterward.

“We have not executed to the level we’re capable of,” Carlyle said. “Our execution level is nowhere it needs to be to have success. And we have to get more desperate on the power play.

“Special teams are oh-so-critical and that was the difference in the hockey game today.”

The power outage with the man advantage has played a large part in their offensive struggles the past few weeks. The Ducks (33-15-8) have scored only 22 goals in the 10 games, and seven of those came Tuesday in a victory at San Jose.

“If you’re struggling, you’ve got to simplify it,” Pronger said of the power play. “Get bodies to the net. We’ve got to first get the puck and get it in the zone, retrieve it and then get it set up. A couple of power plays, we didn’t even get set up in their end.

“If you’re not able to control the puck in their end, you’re not going to get too many scoring chances.”

The chances that they did have were turned away by Smith, whom the Stars went with after usual starter Marty Turco gave up 13 goals in his last three games against the Ducks.

Smith outdueled the Ducks’ Jean-Sebastien Giguere as he stopped 32 shots for his third shutout this season. The 24-year-old goalie was at his best in the first period when he made 10 saves, most of which came on quality scoring chances.

McDonald was denied on a partial breakaway. Samuel Pahlsson was foiled from point-blank range on a sprawling save. Smith also neatly got his leg on a deflection try by Dustin Penner.

“They tried to keep everything to the outside and the kid made some big stops,” Carlyle said. “We had some people in alone.”

Giguere, who made 20 saves, matched Smith until early in the third when Jokinen hurt them in regulation instead of the shootout.

Jokinen was able to pick up Sergei Zubov’s breakout pass off his foot in the neutral zone and stay in stride. He cut between Pronger and Sean O’Donnell, then put a wrist shot past Giguere on the stick side.

Carlyle called it a “heck of a play” while Pronger said he thought Zubov’s pass was intended for Niklas Hagman, who was charging up the left flank.

“Hagman was streaking down the wing as well and that’s the guy they’d been hitting all day,” Pronger said.

“So I stepped up on him and it hits Jokinen’s foot and I’m trying to pick [the puck] up. All of a sudden, he’s almost falling and somehow regains his control. The puck’s on his stick and he’s going in.”

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eric.stephens@latimes.com