Ducks show they have fight left in 4-2 win over Chicago

The Ducks probably can’t win this struggle, but they still have some fight in them.

After a feisty 4-2 win over Chicago on Wednesday at the Honda Center, they have beaten the top two teams in the Western Conference in consecutive games. But even after the wins over San Jose and Chicago, they are still eight points out of a playoff spot with 13 games left — and four teams between them and eighth-place Detroit.

Add another concern after defenseman James Wisniewski’s second-period hit on Brent Seabrook knocked the dazed Chicago defenseman out of the game with what was termed — in one of hockey’s euphemisms — “an upper-body injury.”

The incident figures to get a look from NHL disciplinarians concerned about head shots. “That is the hot topic,” said Wisniewski, who called Seabrook “one of my very good buddies.”

The play unfolded shortly after Seabrook checked the Ducks’ Corey Perry against the boards. Wisniewski took a run at Seabrook, who staggered and crumpled. Team personnel kept tightening his helmet on the bench afterward, but Seabrook left the game and didn’t return.

Wisniewski was penalized for charging and fighting Duncan Keith afterward.

“I really think what happened was my face hit his face. That’s why I’ve got this,” said Wisniewski, pointing to a bloodied nose and admitting he was “shocked” when he saw the effect of the hit on Seabrook on the replay.

“You know, the result of what happened isn’t good because of what happened with him, but there wasn’t anything wrong that I did.”

Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith said he “didn’t see enough of it to say if [Wisniewski] had his elbow up or anything like that. I saw that obviously Seabrook wasn’t doing good and I hope he’s doing better now.”

Carlyle praised Wisniewski’s overall game, calling him “probably the first star in our mind,” and said Wisniewski “used his body and his arms were down.”

The loss was Chicago’s third in a row, and Bobby Ryan dealt two of the blows, scoring the first goal of the game and the empty-netter that gave the Ducks breathing room with 53 seconds left. The goals were the 30th and 31st of his season and came on his 23rd birthday.

Teemu Selanne, one goal shy of 600 NHL goals, played despite the slight left shoulder sprain he suffered Sunday and had five shots, but no milestone goal. Ryan Getzlaf, who Sunday aggravated the left ankle sprain that threatened to keep him out of the Olympics, did not play but remains day to day.

With the score tied with less than six minutes left in the game, the Ducks got the go-ahead goal on a sequence that started with Corey Perry shoving Chicago defenseman Brent Sopel to the ice as he waited for the puck. Moments later, the Ducks’ Saku Koivu jumped on the loose puck in the slot and scored for a 3-2 lead at 14:24.



Etc.

The Ducks’ Todd Marchant’s short-handed goal in the second period was his third of the season and 28th of his career.... The Ducks signed Jake Newton, a 21-year-old defenseman from San Jacinto who just completed his freshman season at Northeastern University, to a three-year entry-level contract. He is expected to practice with the team the rest of the season—and possibly get a chance to play. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defenseman, a former Southern California youth hockey standout, had nine goals and 22 points with 10 penalty minutes in 34 games for Northeastern this season.... The Ducks assigned forward Kyle Calder the Toronto of the American Hockey League.

robynnorwood@verizon.net