DUCKS DO IT FOR THEMSELVES : SHUTOUT RAISES PLAYOFF HOPES DUCKS 2, VANCOUVER 0.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

Scoreboard watching has become a painful chore for the Mighty Ducks lately. Fortunately for them, their own results have remained pleasurable.

On a night when some of their main rivals for the final Western Conference playoff spots came up with impressive rallies to add to their point totals, the Ducks didn't need any such dramatics.

In their latest biggest game of the season, the Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks in workmanlike fashion 2-0 on Monday at Anaheim Arena to stay in command of their own playoff destiny.

Steve Rucchin and Roman Oksiuta each scored a goal and Teemu Selanne had two assists for the Ducks whose easiest path to the Stanley Cup playoffs is winning their final three games.

The Ducks, who play the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday, are in ninth place with 74 points but are within striking distance of five teams: fourth-place St. Louis with 79 points, followed by Toronto (78), Calgary and Vancouver (77); and Winnipeg (76). Eight teams qualify for the postseason.

Winnipeg and Calgary both staged dramatic comebacks to gain points. The Jets got a goal with five seconds left in the third period to tie St. Louis while the Flames rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Edmonton 3-2.

Undeterred, the Ducks got goals in the first and second periods to win for the 10th time in their past 14 games (10-2-2) and prevent the Canucks from clinching a playoff spot.

Ducks goalie Guy Hebert stopped 31 shots in getting his third shutout in the past 10 games and his fourth of the season. He entered with a goals-against average of 0.73 and a save percentage of .975 in his past four home games.

Oksiuta, who came to the Ducks in a trade from Vancouver on March 15, got a power-play goal when he took a beautiful set-up pass from Paul Kariya and beat goalie Corey Hirsch at 18 minutes of the second period.

Kariya had carried the puck up left wing, gone past the goal line to avoid a defenseman and slid a pass back to Oksiuta in the slot.

The goal was Oksiuta's 21st of the year.

Selanne is noted for his offense, but he set up the Ducks' first goal with his defense, stealing a pass by Leif Rohlin deep in the Anaheim offensive zone, skating behind the net and finding an on-rushing Rucchin for a goal at 12:02 of the first.

It was the 18th goal of the season for Rucchin.

The Ducks got a scare when the red light, signaling a goal, came on after Canucks left wing Esa Tikkanen, stationed near the left post, whacked a rebound off the rear board across the crossbar during the first period.

Play continued because the red light came on late, prompting Ducks defenseman David Karpa to angrily pound his stick on the glass in front of the goal judge. The goal was quickly erased after replays showed the puck never went into the net.

Notes: Since March 1, the Ducks have accumulated the most points in the Western Conference, going 10-3-3 for 23 points. The Detroit Red Wings, one game shy of the NHL record for most wins in a season (60), are second with 21 points (9-2-3). . . . Kariya was named the NHL player of the week after getting three goals and seven points in three games last week. . . . Defenseman Randy Ladouceur and forward Shaun Van Allen were healthy scratches for the Ducks. . . . Single-game Ducks tickets for the Stanley Cup playoffs will be at sale beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the Anaheim Arena box office and TicketMaster outlets.

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Chart: NHL PLAYOFF RACE