Ducks Lose Game and Their Composure

SAN JOSE —  The good feelings, fortunate bounces and giddiness resulting from the Mighty Ducks’ best start in their five-season history ended here Tuesday.

The San Jose Sharks brought the Ducks crashing back to reality with a 4-2 thumping before 16,645 at San Jose Arena.

Name an aspect of the game and the Ducks failed to master it. They were outhit, outsmarted, outshot and outscored.

“No excuses,” Mighty Duck Coach Pierre Page said. “San Jose played the way you have to play, no matter what building you’re playing in. They came out flying.”

The Ducks looked nothing like the team that managed to raise eyebrows with a .500 record despite playing more than six weeks without unsigned free agent Paul Kariya.

To be sure, Teemu Selanne has carried the Ducks (8-9-5) while they wait for Kariya to sign a fat new contract. Until Tuesday, however, the strain of the effort on Selanne was not evident.

It was difficult to miss against the Sharks, though.

Unlike in San Jose’s 6-4 victory over the Ducks at the Pond on Nov. 10, the Sharks paid close attention to Selanne. They hit him, tripped him and angered him, ensuring a repeat of his three-goal first period would not happen.

“I’m always frustrated when I can’t do what I like to do,” said Selanne, who had only three shots on goal--all in the waning moments of the game. “I still have to go out there and try to do some good things. Of course, there was no room.”

With Selanne neutralized, it was left to others to provide the Ducks’ scoring chances. Pickings were slim.

Down and out, 3-0, late in the second period, the Ducks finally scored when center Steve Rucchin chipped a rebound into the net for his second goal of the season.

Rucchin was the first Duck to score since Ted Drury gave them a brief 3-2 lead at the 12:54 mark of the second period in Friday’s 3-3 tie with the Vancouver Canucks.

A whopping 126 minutes 44 seconds elapsed between goals, which might partly explain the Ducks’ recent funk.

Tuesday’s loss extended their season-high winless streak to five games (0-4-1).

“We have to stop this streak right now,” Selanne said after the Ducks’ first loss at San Jose Arena since March 6, 1994.

The absence of Kariya and top offensive defenseman Dmitri Mironov, who missed his third consecutive game because of a muscle strain in his chest, certainly contributed to Tuesday’s lackluster result.

But the Ducks also hurt themselves by failing to stay out of the penalty box, giving up their third short-handed goal in the past two games and looking disorganized from start to finish.

“We’re giving up a lot of goals right now and that’s not us,” Page said. “We’re [also] the most penalized team in the league. It’s got to stop. Two years in a row now this team is in the top five in penalties. It’s got to stop.”

San Jose built a three-goal lead midway through the second period and the Ducks never got closer than two goals the rest of the way.

Selanne, yapping at referee Stephen Walkom after San Jose defenseman Doug Bodger hauled him down, drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 12:08 of the first period.

The Sharks made the most of Selanne’s frustration and the ensuing man advantage. Rookie center Patrick Marleau scored the first of his two goals by knocking a rebound past Guy Hebert for a 1-0 Shark lead at 13:28.