DUCKS NO MATCH FOR THE DEVILS LEAGUE CHAMPS HAVE THEIR WAY AGAINST ANAHEIM NEW JERSEY 5, DUCKS 2.

Byline: Frank Welch  Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - The Mighty Ducks played a solid hockey game on Wednesday night against the reigning Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. They played with intensity, intelligence and a sense of urgency, something the Ducks have occasionally lacked on all fronts during an inconsistent season to this point.

So, with that stated, how did the Ducks manage to lose a 5-2 decision to the Devils in front of a crowd of 13,932 at The Pond?

A penalty here: One.

A beaten defenseman there: Two.

And a less-than-100 percent goaltender for the capper: Three.

The Devils added an extra-insurance fourth goal, but it was game, set a and match once New Jersey hit three.

And just like that, the Devils (9-8-3-0) extended their winning streak over Anaheim (8-10-3-2) to seven in a row.

New Jersey, now winners of three in a row, broke free from a 1-1 tie with a pair of second period goals.

Scott Gomez' goal with 3:45 left in the second period signaled the end of the night for shaken-up Anaheim goalie Guy Hebert.

Hebert was involved in a collison with teammate German Titov 42 seconds before Gomez' goal. Hebert was removed from the ice in favor of Dominic Roussel. It appeared Titov's right leg clipped Hebert in the shoulder or head area as Titov quickly skated in to clear traffic in front of the net.

Hebert stayed down on the ice for three minutes after going down to the ice on his back. He elected to stay in the game, however, with New Jersey mounting constant offensive, Hebert clearly looked shaken and uncomfortable during the sequence before Gomez' goal.

New Jersey went ahead 2-1 with 11:18 left in the second period as left wing Jay Pandolfo snuck behind Anaheim defenseman Pavel Trnka. Pandolfo, who also scored an empty net goal in the final seconds, took a pass from Petr Sykora and sent a backhanded shot over Hebert's stick side and into the top of the right corner of the net.

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and Hebert kept their team's locked in a 1-1 tie thanks to solid saves by both. Brodeur kept Anaheim off the scoresheet in the second period by stopping seven shots, including stoning Marty McInnis down low early in the period.

The Ducks, despite being outshot 12-10, played a solid first period. They often beat the Devils to loose pucks, which is something coach Craig Hartsburg has often urged his inconsistent team to do more often.

Anaheim right wing Teemu Selanne atoned for an earlier penalty by popping home the Ducks first goal. With Selanne and linemates Mike Leclerc and Matt Cullen swarming in front of Brodeur, Selanne eventually was able to put his stick on a puck that trickled off of Brodeur and into the net. The goal tied the game at 1-1 with eight minutes elapsed.

The second line of Selanne, Cullen and Leclerc has been quite impressive since being paired together in Phoenix last Saturday. The trio combined for eight of Anaheim's 10 shots in the first period.

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Photo:

New Jersey wing Patrik Elias (26) moves toward the goal Wednesday night at the Pond.

John Hayes/Associated Press