Ducks Not Satisfied After 4-3 Victory Over Predators

NASHVILLE â€”  They’ve gotten picky all of a sudden, these Mighty Ducks. Saturday night’s 4-3 victory here over the troublesome Nashville Predators simply wasn’t good enough for them.

“Now is the time to expect more from ourselves,� goalie Guy Hebert said after the Ducks moved over the .500 mark at 12-11-2-1.

Certainly, the Ducks had hoped for more after storming to a two-goal lead in the first period, buzzing around the Nashville net as if they had been preparing for the game for days instead of hours.

In the first period, the Ducks resembled the team that had demolished the Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars, 4-2, the day before. The letdown came later.

The Ducks went flat in the second period, then were re-energized by the second of captain Paul Kariya’s two goals moments before the second intermission.

The pattern was repeated in the final period, what with center Steve Rucchin scoring the second of his two goals to keep the Ducks ahead by two goals at 4-2.

Instead of finishing strong, the Ducks unraveled, scrambling to preserve their lead.

Nashville’s Cliff Ronning scored his second of two goals, with goalie Mike Dunham on the bench in favor of a sixth skater in the final minute, to trim the lead to 4-3.

Two losses on faceoffs in the Duck zone gave the Predators two good cracks at tying the score in the dying moments. But Nashville couldn’t put one more puck behind Hebert.

“We played a great first period,� Hebert said. “The first 10 or 15 minutes could be the best we’ve played all year. We got up 2-0 and just got away from our game.�

The Ducks’ intensity seemed to come and go in the final two periods, one minute they were fearsome and the next they were a mess. But they emerged victorious for the first time in Nashville. They lost twice here in 1998-99, the Predators’ first season in the NHL.

“We were good in spurts,� Hebert said after his second victory in as many days. “We’re 20-something games into the season. We’ve had our break-in period. We need a more consistent effort from everybody.

“But we’ll take the [victories at Dallas and Nashville].�

The road has not been kind to the Ducks. Their last trip began with a superb effort in a 2-0 victory Nov. 9 over the Toronto Maple Leafs, then ended with losses to the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.

A 2-2 homestand fell far short of the Ducks’ expectations, and they headed to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day feeling a bit concerned about their play.

A team meeting helped sort out a few things Thursday. Coach Craig Hartsburg took that a step further by reuniting the Kariya-Rucchin-Teemu Selanne line for the Dallas game.

Selanne’s three-goal game propelled the Ducks to their first victory at Dallas since 1993, ending a 0-12-1 streak.

Saturday, the Kariya-Rucchin-Selanne line worked over the Predators. Their speed was difficult to handle and Rucchin had three faceoff victories that led to goals.

“It usually doesn’t happen that way,� Rucchin said of setting up the goals by winning key faceoffs. “Once in a while they go in, but there’s a higher percentage when nothing happens.�

Problem was, even the standout play by the Ducks’ top line couldn’t help them finish off Nashville.

“We could be dominating like that every night,� Hebert said, referring to the Ducks’ first-period performance. “We shouldn’t be winning games with a crazy last couple of minutes. When it’s 4-2, the game should end 4-2.�

Hebert got no argument from anyone in the dressing room.

“We have to keep improving and learning,� Kariya said. “We didn’t close out this game very well.�

Said Hartsburg: “The first two periods, we did a lot of good things. We worked. We played smart. We played like a team. Guy saved us at the end.�

Hartsburg could have played backup Dominic Roussel, a former Predator, Saturday, but he stuck with Hebert.

“The way he’s going--he’s really got his game in a groove--you want to keep him in there,� Hartsburg said of Hebert, who had 27 saves against Nashville a day after making 17 saves against Dallas.