Ducks Keep It Going

Now the Mighty Ducks can consider themselves hot.

Sure, victories over Dallas and St. Louis in the last week are fine moments. Beating two of league’s better teams on the road looks good on any team’s resume. But a victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, that falls into the special category.

The only team that has dominated the Ducks more is the Detroit Red Wings. Yet Wednesday the Ducks treated the Blue Jackets like the second-year expansion team they are in a 3-1 victory.

Jeff Friesen, Andy McDonald and Matt Cullen scored goals in front of an announced crowd of 9,498 at the Arrowhead Pond.

The fans got a glimpse of a confident Duck team.

They didn’t crumble when down, played aggressively with the lead and cruised into the All-Star break with a season-high five-game winning streak.

It’s the Ducks’ longest streak since winning seven consecutive games during the 1998-99 season.

“We’ve played well defensively basically the whole season,” team captain Paul Kariya said. “We do a good job penalty killing and keeping the other team from creating chances. It’s just a matter of just getting some goals.”

The Ducks got their goals Wednesday.

Mike Leclerc fought off two Columbus players in the corner and slid the puck to McDonald, who drove the net. McDonald’s backhand shot at the crease beat goalie Ron Tugnutt to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead 15 minute 17 seconds into the second period.

The goal gave the Ducks’ top line at least one goal in the six games since Leclerc joined McDonald and Kariya.

“Mike made a great play, he battled in the corner and then made a great pass,” McDonald said.

Cullen then gave the Ducks what they have lacked so often this season ... a third goal.

He re-directed a Jason York shot for a power-play goal 1:22 into the third period for a 3-1 lead. It was Cullen’s fourth goal in four games.

“Early in the year, every game was 2-1 or 3-2,” Coach Bryan Murray said. “We couldn’t get that third goal. We are finally scoring enough goals.”

Against a team that has made life difficult for the Ducks.

The Blue Jackets, last in the Western Conference, may be the lamb in every other team’s petting zoo. But the Ducks haven’t been able to touch them. In the seven previous games, Columbus has never failed to take away at least a point in a game with the Ducks, going 6-0-0-1.

“They play a patient game and we always seem to try to do too much against them,” Duck defenseman Jason York said.

The Ducks’ only other shining moment against Columbus was a 5-4 overtime victory Dec. 13, 2001. The next day, the Ducks fired Coach Craig Hartsburg.

Murray could sleep soundly.

“We asked them to do certain things and to work hard,” Murray said. “As coaches, all we want right now is good discipline and hard work. It taken a while, but everyone is buying in.”

The Ducks were coming off three consecutive road victories, including ones at Dallas and St. Louis, and proceeded to put themselves in a hole.

Ruslan Salei took a holding penalty 42 seconds into the game. Keith Carney, the Ducks’ steadiest and most experienced defenseman, then made a rookie-like mistake. He tried to clear the puck from behind the net, but centered a pass to Columbus’ Mike Sillinger instead, who scored.