Shaky Roussel Effort Leaves Ducks Shaken

Mighty Duck goalie Dominic Roussel was the one feeling ill after Wednesday’s game.

He didn’t have a queasy stomach, which had kept Guy Hebert home and put Roussel in the lineup. It was more a sinking feeling, caused by pucks bouncing off his equipment and into the net.

By the time the New Jersey Devils had polished off a 4-3 victory at the Pond, those among the announced crowd of 14,027 probably wished they had stayed at home as well.

“Sometimes, you have to play when you’re not expecting it,” Roussel said. “But that’s not an excuse.”

This was not how the Ducks wanted to finish a seven-game homestand. They had hoped to pile up some points before the all-star break. Instead, they finished 3-4 and lost for the first time this season when they scored three goals (13-1-3).

“We can’t worry about what’s behind us, just what is ahead of us.” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “You’re only as good as your last game and you can only worry about your next game.”

Not exactly comforting words for Roussel. What was behind him too often was the puck. What is ahead of him is tonight’s game in Phoenix, where the Ducks play the Coyotes in their last game before the all-star break.

“He obviously has to give us better goaltending,” Hartsburg said.

Hebert had been ill for a few days, and had consulted a doctor after Monday’s 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh. He never made it to the arena Wednesday. Roussel stepped in and shut out the Devils in the first period. Then things collapsed.

He misjudged a shot by Scott Stevens that tied the score, 1-1, a little more than a minute into the second period. Stevens fired from the blue line and Roussel had an unobstructed view, but missed the shot.

Petr Sykora’s centering pass on a power play hit the inside of Roussel’s left pad and ricocheted into the net to tie the score, 2-2, at 13:27 of the second period. In the third period, Jason Arnott came in clean on Roussel and fired a shot the tipped off his glove and fluttered into the net.

“I was mad about that first goal because I didn’t bear down on it,” Roussel said. “I was a little shaky after that. If I had stopped that first one, it might have been different for me and a different outcome for the team, too.”

The game winner, though, came on a solid effort by Lyle Odelein, who had two quick shots blocked before slipping a pass to Vadim Sharifijanov. Roussel never had a chance. Sharifijanov, with Duck defenseman Kevin Haller draped over him, tipped the pass into the net with 12 minutes left.

“This is not what we wanted on this homestand,” said Paul Kariya, who scored the Ducks’ first goal three minutes into the game. “But you can’t say, ‘We need to play well during that stretch, but not that stretch.’ We need to play tough all the time.”

It was only the second victory in the last six games for the Devils, who have had their own problems with the flu. Eleven players missed either practice or games in the last three weeks and are 3-5-1 in that time.

“We can’t worry about other teams, we have to worry about our state of mind,” Hartsburg said. “We should be the desperate team, the hungry team. No matter who comes into our building, that should be the case.”

Devil goalie Martin Brodeur made 32 saves. He turned away Teemu Selanne while sitting down with nine minutes left. He then got his right pad on point-blank shot by Kariya with three minutes left.