Ducks Show Their Might in 3-1 Victory Over Kings

It’s called lunch-bucket hockey. It’s far from electrifying, but the Mighty Ducks are getting pretty good at it. Consider their 3-1 victory Monday over the slumping Kings at the Arrowhead Pond.

The Ducks’ style of play didn’t look particularly inviting to the 16,067 fans, but all those tough checks along the boards and in front of the net paid off for the second consecutive game.

There were several skillful plays, but substance instead of flash enabled the Ducks to subdue the Kings and win their third in four games. The Ducks won most of the little battles, which resulted in the Kings’ fourth consecutive loss.

Centers Travis Green and Johan Davidsson proved it’s possible a Duck forward other than Paul Kariya or Teemu Selanne or Steve Rucchin could score an important goal.

Green and Davidsson had their first goals, providing unexpected but welcome scoring for the Ducks in the first two periods. Kariya added an empty-net goal in the game’s final minute.

“We can’t ask the guys to score two or three goals every night,” Davidsson said. “That’s why it feels so good to win when other guys have helped out in the scoring.”

The Ducks certainly needed an offensive jolt, what with Selanne sidelined for the third consecutive game because of a bruised foot and a strained thigh--both in his right leg.

Guy Hebert’s goaltending and the defense in front of him also were superb. Hebert stopped 38 of 39 shots, narrowly missing his second consecutive shutout. Hebert shut out Calgary, 1-0, Saturday.

Green’s goal, with the Ducks short-handed in the first period, ended a 15-game slump without one.

Green hit nothing but net at 18:29 of the first period, lifting a backhander over a sprawling Manny Legace for his first goal since April 19.

“I thought I saw a monkey fly off my back somewhere,” Green said.

His drought might have earned him a spot in the press box on another team. But on the goal-starved Ducks, his skills in the faceoff circle and the mere promise of goals and assists kept him in the lineup.

“We know he’s worked his butt off,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said at the morning skate. “We feel bad he hasn’t been rewarded for the way he’s worked. He’s doing a good job. You’ve got to look at more than just numbers. In this league, you can’t focus just on scoring goals. If he does, he won’t help the team much.”

Davidsson, a rookie, was in a similar predicament. He had played quite well, earning a promotion to play with Kariya and Marty McInnis on the top line because of the injuries to Selanne.

But Davidsson had only three assists this season to show for all his good work.

Hartsburg’s faith in Davidsson was rewarded 2:58 into the second period. Legace strayed too far from his net in pursuing a loose puck, leaving easy pickings for Davidsson to score a power-play goal from the right faceoff circle.

Davidsson’s quick, high shot beat Legace before he could get settled in the net and the Ducks had a 2-0 lead.

The Ducks appeared to have taken a 3-0 lead at 8:59 of the second period, but left wing Jim McKenzie was ruled to have kicked a rebound off the right goal post into the net. Television replays clearly showed McKenzie making like Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo.

At the other end, Hebert frustrated the Kings at every turn.

Some of it was Hebert’s doing, but sometimes the Kings had only themselves to blame. The Kings’ power-play failed to click until Olli Jokinen’s goal at 16:14 of the third period ended their 0-for-26 skid with the man advantage.

But there was more to it than a bad power play.

One play, which set up Green’s first-period goal, best illustrated the Kings’ effort in the first two periods.

Defenseman Steve Duchesne had an open net to shoot at after a cross-ice pass came to him at the left goal post, but he fanned.

Duchesne went to get the puck behind the net, worked his way around the boards, but his pass to Luc Robitaille skipped out of the zone. McInnis and Green were then off on a two-on-one break for the game’s first goal.