Only one way to look at it

By Eric Stephens

April 20, 2008 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

DALLAS -- Happy to be flying to Texas for Game 6 instead of dealing with the alternative on Saturday, the Ducks might have accomplished something more Friday night than extending the Western Conference quarterfinal series against Dallas.

Could their 5-2 victory in Game 5 planted the first seeds of doubt among the Stars?

The upbeat Ducks wouldn’t go that far, but they’re well aware that Dallas has some playoff demons to overcome entering Game 6 tonight at the American Airlines Center.

It’s a place where the Stars have won only twice in their last nine home playoff games. And it’s one reason why they have been bounced in the first round the last three postseasons.

“I’m sure that they’re looking at this game as their Game 7,” Ducks defenseman Sean O’Donnell said. “They’re at home in front of their fans. It’s Game 6. I’m sure they don’t want to come back [to Anaheim] Tuesday night.

“I think they might have a little sense of urgency. I don’t know if we put any doubt in their game, but I think they might want to come out and wrap this thing up as soon as possible.”

The Ducks still have plenty of work to do in their attempt to become the 21st hockey team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

But there are signs of hope that were harder to find after their 3-1 loss in Game 4. With their playoff lives on the line, the Ducks displayed a persistent level of energy throughout Game 5 that they hadn’t shown in the series.

All of the hard work resulted in 32 shots on goal against Stars netminder Marty Turco, the most they had in the first five games.

“There’s no easy way to win,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “We just had to find more desperation in our game.”

Moves were also made to jump-start the offense. Carlyle had veteran Samuel Pahlsson center the second line with Chris Kunitz and Teemu Selanne and dropped rookie Ryan Carter to a re-formed checking line with Travis Moen and Todd Marchant. Now healthy, Corey Perry was put back on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Todd Bertuzzi.

Carlyle said Carter’s experience on the checking line earlier in the season while Pahlsson battled an abdominal injury made it easier to move Pahlsson.

“We thought it gave us some balance throughout our lines,” Carlyle said. “It allowed us to put Bertuzzi, Getzlaf and Perry together. We had Carter play in that position on the checking line previously. So it wasn’t like it was new.

“It speaks to the versatility of the players, when you can have a young kid come in and play a major role. You can have Sami come in and play an offensive role with Teemu and Kuni.”

An emotional boost was provided by Perry in the first period when he scored on a slap shot from the right circle to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. It proved meaningful as the team that has scored first in each game has gone on to win.

Perry was playing in his second game since missing six weeks because of a severed tendon above his right knee.

“That’s a goal-scorer’s goal,” Carlyle said. “We haven’t been scoring those type of goals in this series and it was nice to see us get the first one last night.”

The Ducks might be getting another key addition back in the lineup. Right wing Rob Niedermayer has missed the last three games because of concussion-like symptoms, but he accompanied the team to Dallas on Saturday.

Niedermayer’s status for Game 6 continues to be in limbo, but a major reason why he did not play in Games 3 and 4 were because the symptoms he incurred after his involvement in a third-period collision with Moen and Stars forward Brenden Morrow in Game 2 rendered him unable to fly.

All in all, the Ducks are looking more like themselves.

O’Donnell, their respected 13-year veteran, exemplified that when he responded to his momentum-changing turnover in their Game 4 defeat by delivering an insurance goal Friday along with the primary assist on Perry’s goal. The defenseman scored his first playoff goal since the 2006 conference quarterfinals against Calgary when he won Game 4 in overtime.

The quick turnaround between Games 4 and 5 allowed O’Donnell to limit the times he replayed in his mind the turnover that led to Joel Lundqvist’s goal.

“Here’s how it exactly goes,” O’Donnell said. “You make the turnover, you realize they got the puck and you hope to God that he’s going to miss the net. When he doesn’t and it goes in, you just want to climb into a hole. It does sting but you really have to have a short memory in this game, whether it’s bad stuff or good stuff. It certainly was nice to come back and help the team the way I was able to last night. We’ll call it even after Game 4 and Game 5. It’s all square now.”

All square is what the Ducks want tonight. They’ve taken one step toward that.

“We were fighting for our lives,” Marchant said. “You win and you live to fight another day. . . . . Just give ourselves another opportunity. And that’s where we’re at.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com

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Won or done

How the Ducks have fared in elimination games:

1997

Western Conference quarterfinals: Def. Phoenix in Game 6, 3-2 (OT);

won Game 7, 3-0.

Western Conference semifinals: Lost to Detroit in Game 4, 3-2 (2OT).

1999

Western Conference quarterfinals: Lost to Detroit in Game 4, 3-0.

2003

Stanley Cup finals: Def. New Jersey