Lupul Is Name of the Game

DENVER â€”  Joffrey Lupul is making a name for himself.

And it’s not Jeffrey, which the public address announcer at the Pepsi Center called him Tuesday while listing the four goals and two penalties Lupul accumulated in leading the Mighty Ducks to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche and a 3-0 stranglehold on their best-of-seven playoff series.

True, Lupul’s first name doesn’t have the flair of “Rocket,� as in Maurice “Rocket� Richard, the last person before Lupul to account for at least all four of his team’s goals in a playoff triumph. Richard, one of the game’s great scorers, had all five goals for the Montreal Canadiens against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 23, 1944.

Nor is his name as catchy as “Newsy,� as in Edouard “Newsy� Lalonde, who was among hockey’s first stars and became the first player to score all four of his team’s goals in a playoff victory, for the Canadiens against Seattle on March 22, 1919.

But at the rate Lupul is scoring, he shouldn’t have to spell out his name in Denver or anywhere else.

“They didn’t even get it in overtime,� said Lupul, who has scored the Ducks’ last five goals, starting with the finale in their 3-0 victory in Game 2.

“I said something when I was in the penalty box one time, but apparently they didn’t hear. Maybe they’ll get it right if I score more.�

Lupul, who grew up in the Edmonton suburb of Fort Saskatchewan, has had a knack for scoring as long as he can remember.

“To get four goals in a playoff game definitely surprised me, but I’m a goal-scorer and if I get my shots, eventually they are going to go in,� he said Wednesday, after the Ducks held an optional practice at the Pepsi Center to prepare for today’s potential series-clincher.

“I had a bit of tough luck in the first series. I had only one goal against Calgary. Right now it just seems like everything is finding a way in.�

The 6-1, 203-pound right wing scored 30 goals for Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League as a 17-year-old, and his 56-goal, 106-point season persuaded the Ducks to choose him seventh overall in the 2002 entry draft. He scored 41 goals in his final junior season and 13 in 75 games as an NHL rookie in 2003-04; during last season’s lockout he scored 30 goals and had 56 points for the Ducks’ American Hockey League farm team in Cincinnati.

His 28 goals for the Ducks this season ranked third behind Teemu Selanne’s 40 and Andy McDonald’s 34, and he was fourth in points, with 53. His playoff performance has given the Ducks balance and depth that have fortified them through a grueling stretch in which they’ll play their 11th game in 20 days tonight.

“I knew he was a good player, the type of player they play on the power play with Teemu and McDonald,� said left wing Alex Tanguay of the Avalanche. “He’s a very good shooter. He’s had probably the best game of his life, and good timing for him.�

Veteran center Jim Dowd of Colorado said he knew of Lupul as “a great junior player and he’s been getting better and better each year in the NHL. He’s one of those guys that always seems to get on the scoreboard somehow.�

There’s no greater compliment for one player to offer another.

Scoring can’t be taught; a pure scorer has good hands, good instincts and an unerring sense of where to be. Lupul has them all, though he can’t explain why.

“It’s a weird thing. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t,� he said. “Right now, I’m just getting some good breaks and getting some great passes and making the most of my opportunities. I don’t know if I can score every night, but I’m having fun while it lasts.�

Lupul returned to his hotel to find 25 phone messages and about 50 interview requests on Wednesday. Although he fielded congratulations all day, he heard nothing from Coach Randy Carlyle, who probably would have been inclined to criticize Lupul’s penchant for taking penalties before praising his scoring prowess. Lupul also leads the team in penalty minutes, with 25.

“We’ve had enough of his penalties in the playoffs,� Carlyle said, his wry expression softening his words. “He knows how I feel about those. And the goals, I really haven’t said anything. Everyone else is slapping him on the back so I really didn’t think I needed to.

“I’ll pick my time and place.�

Lupul has learned he doesn’t need a pat on the back to know he played well, a significant step in the maturation of a small-town kid thrust into the big leagues.

“It’s a shock when you come from Fort Saskatchewan and then Medicine Hat and come right to Orange County. It was a bit of a shock when I got there but I love it now,� said Lupul, who lives in Newport Beach and plans to spend most of the summer there. “I still have a little maturing to do as a person and a player, but it will come in time.�