DUCKS RALLY PAST SHARKS SALEI'S GAME-WINNER OVERCOMES EARLY TWO-GOAL DEFICIT MIGHTY DUCKS 3, SAN JOSE 2.

Byline: Bruce Nixon Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - For 20 minutes Wednesday, the Mighty Ducks appeared to be returning to the poor defensive play and lackadaisical effort that had too often been their norm this season.

They came out flat and trailed the San Jose Sharks by two goals after the first period, getting just four shots on goal and showing no signs of having much interest in playing the Sharks.

That changed after the first intermission. The team that returned from the Ducks' locker room suddenly had all the energy. And the one that came out of the Sharks' locker room was the one getting outhustled and outscored.

With two goals in less than a minute midway through the third period, the Ducks rallied to win 3-2 in front of 12,246 at the Pond. Petr Sykora tied it and Ruslan Salei scored the game-winner 49 seconds later with an innocent-looking wrist shot from the left point that got past Sharks goalie Vesa Toskala.

The Ducks won consecutive games for the first time since mid-November. Goalie Martin Gerber shut out the Stars on Sunday and stopped 18 of 20 shots Wednesday. The Ducks are 7-1-2-1 in their past 11 home games. They also pulled even with the Sharks in the Pacific Division standings. The teams play three more times in the next 12 days.

The Ducks turned the game around in the second period, outshooting the Sharks 16-3. Andy McDonald scored with 12 seconds left in the period to cut the Sharks' lead to 2-1.

In the third period, Samuel Pahlsson worked to keep the puck in the Sharks' zone. He got it to defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski, whose shot was stopped, but Sykora was there to put in the rebound. It was Sykora's first goal in six games. Salei's first goal of the season came 49 seconds later.

The Sharks were 6-1-1 in their previous eight games. And they led 2-0 after the first period while the Ducks didn't get a shot on goal in the first 9:42 of the period.

Scott Hannan scored 7:33 into the game. And Gerber couldn't stop Scott Parker six minutes later. Parker got past Ducks defenseman Todd Simpson at the red line and skated up the right side on a two-on-one rush. He beat Gerber with a shot to the near post for his first goal of the season.

Late in the second period, Joffrey Lupul got the puck near center ice and chipped it ahead to a racing McDonald. He chased it down and beat Toskala with a blistering wrist shot to the top-right corner with 12 seconds left in the period. The goal was McDonald's first in nine games.

--Comrie update: The Ducks' much-rumored deal for Edmonton's unsigned forward Mike Comrie appears done from the Ducks' end. But it is being held up by Edmonton, which has reportedly demanded Comrie give back $2 million of his signing bonus before agreeing to trade him. The Ducks are not including ``anyone on the roster,'' according to team officials.

Brice Nixon, [phone]

brice.nixon(at)sgvn.com

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Photo:

Andy McDonald, left, rejoices after scoring a second-period goal in the Ducks' 3-2 victory over San Jose at the Pond.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press