DUCKS GET RARE POINT WITH TIE IN PITTSBURGH : DUCKS 4, PITTSBURGH 4.

Byline: Associated Press 

Saddled with a three-game losing streak, the Mighty Ducks were happy to leave Pittsburgh with Tuesday's 4-4 tie against the Penguins.

``It was a good point,'' Anaheim coach Craig Hartsburg said after Martin Straka scored his 14th goal midway through the third period to tie it for Pittsburgh. ``We had a good game against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.''

The Ducks settled for a tie despite a four-assist game from Teemu Selanne, which tied his career best.

``It's not a big deal,'' Selanne said. ``Sometimes you get the points. When you can't use your speed, you try to make the smart play.''

Selanne's other four-assist game came against Montreal on Dec. 12, 1995, while he was playing for the Winnipeg Jets.

Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr scored twice to end a 10-game drought, his longest since he went 17 games without a goal as a rookie in 1990-91.

``I don't think it bothered me as much as it bothered the media,'' Jagr said. ``They were talking about it more than I was. It's a nice relief. After 25 games, I only had five goals and that's not much.''

The Ducks are 1-4-1 since a three-game winning streak, so Selanne agreed that Tuesday's result was progress.

``We never win in Pittsburgh, so it's good to get a point,'' he said. Anaheim is 0-3-2 in Pittsburgh and has only beaten the Penguins once in nine games overall.

Straka scored his 14th goal of the season at 11:59. Jagr was forced to the boards but spotted Straka going to the net and fed him a pass.

Selanne set up goals by Steve Rucchin and Travis Green early in the third period for a 4-3 lead. Rucchin was left alone in the slot on a power play at 1:26 and Green redirected Matt Cullen's pass from the left wing boards at 10:47 for his second goal of the game and a 4-3 lead.

Jagr, who had not scored a goal since Nov. 5 at Ottawa, got two in the last 1:17 of the second period. He tied the score at 2-2 at 18:42 when he took Straka's pass, shook off defenseman Ruslan Salei and beat goalie Guy Hebert from 20 feet.

Jagr scored on a breakaway with 1.1 seconds left in the period. Kevin Hatcher fired the puck from deep in the defensive zone beyond the red line. Ducks defenseman Kevin Haller blocked the puck to prevent it from being a two-line pass. Jagr knocked it ahead, sped past the defensemen and put a backhander past Hebert for his eighth goal.

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Photo

PHOTO PAUL KARIYA

The forward was held without a point for the second consecutive game since his 11-game scoring streak ended.