[0] SLUGGISH DUCKS AGAIN FAIL TO SCALE .500 WALL : EDMONTON 6, DUCKS 2.

Byline: Greg Christensen

When it comes to the .500 mark, the Mighty Ducks are getting into the habit of firing and falling back.

With a chance to move a game above .500 and open a seven-point advantage on eighth-place Edmonton, the fifth-place Ducks were just the tonic the struggling Oilers needed in a 6-2 victory over Anaheim at the Pond on Wednesday night.

A sluggish power play, turnovers and a miserable third period were enough to drive the majority of the crowd of 14,540 home early.

They also were enough to once again drop the Ducks, who had won six of their seven previous games, one game under .500 (23-24-9). Anaheim has reached the .500 mark nine times this season only to fall back each time.

The Oilers broke open a 2-1 game in the third period when they scored four consecutive goals (three by Alexander Selivanov) in just over three minutes.

A helpless Guy Hebert gave up Edmonton's first five goals, before he was mercifully replaced midway through the third period .

The Ducks' feeble response was Steve Rucchin's 21st goal of the year after the Oilers had taken a 6-1 lead.

The Ducks were outshot (10-8) and outscored (1-0) in the first period despite controlling much of the play.

Anaheim failed to score during its 5:28 of power play time and it gave up a shorthanded goal to Mats Lindgren to make things worse.

Ranked fourth in the league on the power play, the Ducks struggled to control the puck in the Edmonton zone and managed but one shot with the man advantage.

The Oilers were unable to generate any pressure at even strength, but they took the lead at 16:49 when Lindgren knocked in a rebound of Rem Murray's backhander after the Ducks lost control of the puck at the Edmonton blue line.

The Ducks did have several great chances to score earlier in the period, but Mikhail Shtalenkov was more than up to the task.

The former Duck turned aside Paul Kariya on a shorthanded breakaway, Teemu Selanne on a partial break, Ted Drury's one-timer from the right circle and Fredrik Olausson's long shot through a screen in the final minute of the period.

The power play did break through 26 seconds into the second period when Selanne knocked in a rebound of Olausson's shot from the right point for his 27th goal of the season.

But a little over four minutes later the Ducks' No. 1 line struggled to get the puck out of their zone. It eventually turned the puck over and gave up a two-on-one break that the Oilers' Mike Greer converted with a rebound shot from the slot.

Edmonton had a great chance to take a two-goal lead when it had a 50-second two-man advantage. The Oilers, however, managed but one shot - a 15-footer from the slot by Bill Guerin that Hebert turned aside.

The Ducks' best chance to score came near the end of their two consecutive penalties when Rucchin broke in alone from the blue line. He was pulled down from behind, but referee Stephen Walkom did not call a penalty.