California dreaming

Ducks' success has Anaheim bracing for another playoff run

Several years ago I asked Paul Kariya if it would be special to bring the Stanley Cup to California -- intimating that in so doing, he would accomplish what many great players before him had failed to do. Not Marcel Dionne, Rogie Vachon, not even Wayne Gretzky had turned the trick. Kariya just looked at me with a slightly confused look -- no doubt the context and naiveté of my question the source of his facial contortions -- and replied, "Winning the Stanley Cup anywhere would be honor enough."

Understood. The current edition of the Mighty Ducks may not be a Cup contender quite yet, but they certainly look to be playoff-bound. What a marvelous turnaround engineered by GM Bryan Murray, who once again is demonstrating his deft touch when it comes to reconstruction (let's not forget his role in Detroit in the early '90s in getting the Red Wings to the brink of greatness). With Sunday's 4-0 win at Carolina, the Ducks have already surpassed last year's point total with 20 games remaining on the schedule.

The team's recent run of fine play has coincided with the acquisition of offensive defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh. Murray sent seventh defenseman Pavel Trnka and center Matt Cullen to Florida for Ozolinsh, and the move has rounded out the lineup nicely. Trnka was little more than serviceable, while Cullen was miscast on the third line. With Steve Rucchin returning to top form and Adam Oates finally healthy, Cullen wasn't going to get the type of minutes or situations he needed to be successful.

Ozolinsh, on the other hand, gives the Ducks something they desperately needed: a threat from the backline and another option at the top of the power play to offset the attention opponents reserved for Kariya. In talking to Kariya at the All-Star game, he was excited about the prospect of Ozolinsh joining the Ducks -- no face-scrunching on this question, just smiles. Since Ozolinsh's arrival, Kariya has 11 points in 11 games including his 23rd goal of the season against the Hurricanes -- fittingly, on the power play.

There are plenty of other reasons for the improved play of the Mighty Ducks this season beyond the meshing of Kariya and Ozolinsh. Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere is following up last season's 20-win effort with seven shutouts, and winger Petr Sykora is proving to be another quality addition since coming over from the New Jersey Devils in the summer. He has been particularly effective on the power play, leading the Ducks in goals with the man advantage.

Sykora and company have authored a dramatic turnaround on the power play, currently ranking seventh in the league in extra-strength efficiency, one season after Anaheim finished dead last.

Bringing it all together is first-year coach Mike Babcock. His fiery demeanor has been the perfect antidote to an often reticent roster in Anaheim. Reflecting the Ducks' commitment to team play is their stellar defense -- only the Dallas Stars have yielded fewer goals on home ice -- and overall, Babcock has sharpened the team's attention to detail.

Along with their vast power-play improvement, the Ducks rank first in penalty-killing, with their combined special-teams total of 105.9 ranking third in the NHL behind the Red Wings and Ottawa Senators. Furthermore, their 54.8 percent mark in the faceoff circle is also tops in the league. With those numbers as supporting evidence, it is obvious that Babcock has the Ducks focusing on the little things that usually add up to big results in the standings.

So, while the California line of questioning might not be valid from a player's perspective, consider that all three teams -- the Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks -- have never made the postseason at the same time. That is going to hold true again in 2003. I'm sure, though, that all Kariya and his teammates care about is the one team that looks destined to continue playing beyond April 6 -- the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

 

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