DUCKS NOTEBOOK: PRONGER REMAINS SILENT, JACKMAN REPLACES HIM IN LINEUP.

Byline: ELLIOTT TEAFORD and RICH HAMMOND 

Staff Writers

ANAHEIM -- Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger declined to talk again Thursday.

He's still angry about having to serve a one-game suspension for cracking Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom into the glass midway through Game 3 Tuesday.

Pronger participated in the Ducks' morning skate before Game 4 at the Honda Center, but later walked past a horde of reporters waiting by his locker stall without speaking. He thrust a Ducks cap on his head and marched silently to the training room.

Ric Jackman, who had been sidelined by back spasms since the end of the regular season, made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut in Pronger's place.

"It's definitely not the way I wanted to go (into the lineup), having to see one of our defensemen serve a suspension," said Jackman, whose last postseason action of any kind came while with Providence of the American Hockey League in 2002.

The Ducks acquired Jackman from the Florida Panthers on Jan. 2 for a conditional draft pick, and he had one goal and 10 assists in 24 games.

Certainly, no one expected Jackman to play as well as Pronger has for the Ducks during this postseason. After all, Pronger leads the Ducks with 12 points (three goals, nineassists) and ice time with an average of 31:04.

"You can't replace a guy like Chris Pronger," right wing Teemu Selanne said. "He's the full package. It's all about how we're going to play as a team."

The Ducks fared well enough without Pronger in the lineup while he was sidelined by a broken foot in January and a broken toe in March. They were 6-7-3 without him.

Close call: Ducks winger Ryan Getzlaf got a scare in the final seconds of Game 3, when the stick of Kirk Maltby caught Getzlaf just under his right eye. Maltby drew blood and got a high-sticking double minor.

Getzlaf does not wear a visor, and Thursday he featured a cut no more than two inches under his eye. Despite the scare, Getzlaf said he wasn't inclined to put on a visor for Game 4.

"I can't put one on in the middle of the playoffs," Getzlaf said. "I tried to put one on in the middle of the season but I took it off after a couple days because it felt uncomfortable."

Not so special: The Ducks' trouble areas haven't been difficult to locate. They entered Game 4 scoreless on their past 31 power-play chances and have been unable to curb their habit of taking bad penalties.

The Ducks had the third-best power play in the NHL during the regular season.

"We are forcing too many passes and making bad decisions when it's time to shoot or pass," Selanne said. "The game is so much easier when your special teams are working, so that's our goal."