Ducks All Bubbly While Panthers Lose Fizz

MIAMI —  Before they toasted the New Year, the Mighty Ducks made toast of the Florida Panthers.

The streets of South Beach throbbed with partyers, but the Ducks saved their energy for a New Year’s Day game that began at 9 a.m. back home in California, starting the year with a 3-0 victory over one of the NHL’s best teams.

“We’ll celebrate tonight,” goalie Guy Hebert said after making 28 saves for his 13th NHL shutout--and his fourth since late November.

The Ducks became the first Western Conference team to beat the Panthers this season, handing them only their 10th loss and fourth at home. Only one other team, New Jersey, has shut out the Panthers. It also was the first time the Ducks have beaten their 1993 expansion rivals, going 0-3-1 the previous three seasons.

“It was nice to finally do it,” said Joe Sacco, an original Duck. “They’ve gone to the Stanley Cup finals and been in the playoffs. We haven’t. . . . We look at the standings every day. That’s our other motivation.”

The Ducks were six games under .500 and the Panthers were 11 over before the game, but the Ducks beat them with a steady determination that reflected the way they had spent the night before.

“No curfew,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “We have disciplined guys. I trust our guys.”

Hebert nodded.

“If it’s not written down in stone, it’s self-imposed,” he said. “You have to be smart. Me and my roomie, Steve Rucchin, were in the room watching ‘Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s.’ We watched the ball come down, shut the TV off and went to bed.”

The Ducks didn’t put the Panthers to bed until late in the third period, in which they held Florida to seven shots. Clinging to a 1-0 lead and fending off the Panthers’ attacks, the Ducks secured the victory when J.F. Jomphe scored with 7 1/2 minutes left. Dmitri Mironov added a power-play goal with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

Brian Bellows had scored what proved to be the only goal they’d need when he converted a point shot by Mironov on a power play at 5:32 of the second period. The goal was the 450th of Bellows’ NHL career.

“We haven’t been in a playoff game, but it almost felt like one,” said Hebert, who outdueled Florida goalie John Vanbiesbrouck for the first time since Vanbiesbrouck and Hebert went 1-2 in the 1993 expansion draft.

“Every chance we had, [Hebert] spoiled it,” Florida center Rob Niedermayer said. “He didn’t allow many rebounds or second chances. . . . It was very frustrating.”

The outcome was hanging in the balance 5:45 into the final period when the Panthers, down by one goal, went on a power play after the Ducks were whistled for having too many men on the ice.

But as they did with Florida’s five other extra-man opportunities, the Ducks killed the penalty, not allowing a shot on goal during the most critical two minutes of the game.

The Ducks also had to kill a four-minute double-minor in the first after Garry Valk cut Florida defenseman Paul Laus with a high stick, and they received a second bench minor for too many men in the final minutes of the game.

By then, they led by three and the only question was whether Hebert could preserve the shutout.

“When we got that last minor,” Bellows said, “We said to each other on the bench, ‘OK. Block shots, do whatever we have to do.’ ”

The Panthers are mired in a four-game winless streak, their longest of the season.