Mighty Ducks Have Nothing Left in Detroit

DETROIT — The game lasted so long, players scavenged for food in the dressing room between overtimes.

“Raisins, little Fig Newtons, hot dog buns, whatever we could scrounge up,” Mighty Duck defenseman Dan Trebil said.

It lasted so long, Paul Kariya had never been so tired.

It took 5 1/2 hours, three overtimes and 101 minutes and 31 seconds of hockey, but the Mighty Ducks have zilch to show for it. Detroit’s Vyacheslav Kozlov ended it 1:31 into the third overtime, giving the Red Wings a 3-2 victory Sunday in front of 19,983 at Joe LouisArena when he scored on a controversial triple-overtime power play with a shot from the right circle.

“It’s a great feeling,” Kozlov said.

Two games into their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series and the Ducks are down 2-0, losing both in overtime here. The other was a 2-1 loss 59 seconds into overtime Friday.

Duck Coach Ron Wilson fumed about the hooking call on J.J. Daigneault that led to the power play and the no-call on a slash by Kirk Maltby that resulted in Teemu Selanne’s left leg being injured in the first overtime, though Selanne returned for the second and third overtimes.

But as for the series:

“We’re not discouraged,” Wilson said. “We’re encouraged. They can’t beat us in regulation. Now we’ve got a couple of games at home.”

Injuries are a concern. Goalie Guy Hebert left the game in the third period with a slight groin strain, sending Mikhail Shtalenkov on in emergency duty, and Selanne limped out of the arena because of a “really sore” left calf where Maltby hit him.

Long as it was, the game wasn’t the longest in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. Montreal beat New Jersey, 4-3, 7:37 into the third overtime on April 24.

But it was so long that the Zambonis seemed due for an oil change--and so long that between overtime periods a couple was escorted away by security for being too amorous in the stands, drawing hoots and applause from the crowd.

The players guzzled fluids between periods, and some pedaled exercise bikes to keep their legs from cramping.

“I probably hadn’t stayed out there three and four hours since I was a kid playing river hockey,” Duck defenseman Bobby Dollas said.

Detroit hadn’t played a triple-overtime game since 1960. As for Red Wing Coach Scotty Bowman, veteran of 270 playoff games: “I was in uncharted waters. I’ve never had a third overtime in all my career.”

Kozlov’s shot was hardly the most dangerous shot of the 56 that were taken by both teams in overtime. Daigneault hit the post in the second overtime, and the Red Wings’ Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman and Kozlov also had good opportunities, but Shtalenkov was spectacular in turning them away.

“You go from almost winning it for your team to taking the penalty that lets them score on the power play,” said Daigneault, who was forced to hook Doug Brown to prevent a scoring opportunity. “I hooked him. I’m not saying he dove, but he went down pretty easy,” Daigneault said.

The Ducks’ Wilson was irate.

“Our skill guys were getting sticks broken over them. . . . There was a lot of missed dirty stuff, cheap stuff going on. But I guess that’s how Detroit has to play to beat us,” Wilson said.

Kariya, the Ducks’ captain, also complained.

“It was a pretty good game, but obviously that was just a horrendous call at that stage of the game, when they’d let that much go during the game,” he said.

Daigneault couldn’t help thinking back.

“One inch, and it would have been of the inside of the post and in the net,” he said. “It’s tough physically and psychologically, but we’re not out of it.”

It was Selanne who got the Ducks to overtime when he scored with 3:07 left in regulation, pulling the Ducks into a 2-2 tie when he put a rebound into a nearly open net.

Both teams had chances in the first overtime, partly because both went on rare overtime power plays.

The penalty against the Ducks had to be called: They had six men on the ice. The Ducks got an opportunity with a man advantage--perhaps a makeup for the no-call when Selanne was hurt when Detroit’s Bob Rouse was called for holding Jari Kurri’s stick.

Nothing came of it either, and overtime wore on.

Regulation had been much like Game 1. Detroit scored first, 4:34 into the second period when Steve Yzerman’s shot from the right wing hit the stick of a Duck defender, popping up and eluding Hebert’s glove.

That lead held until 4:18 into the third, when Kurri scored his first goal of this postseason--and the 106th playoff goal of his NHL career.

That’s where it stood when Hebert was hurt as he moved across to stop a shot by Shanahan. Hebert went down on his right knee, and stopped another shot, but couldn’t continue.

That brought Shtalenkov in under the most trying of circumstances--in the third period of 1-1 game in the playoffs. He was impressive, giving up only a goal to Brown in regulation when Brown scored off Shanahan’s perfect pass on a two-on-one.

“We played well both games,” Kariya said. “We just have to go home an play the same way.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NHL PLAYOFFS

MIGHTY DUCKS vs. RED WINGS

Red Wings lead series 2-0

* Game 1: Red Wings 2-1 (OT)

* Game 2: Red Wings 3-2 (3 OT)

* Tuesday: at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.

* Thursday: at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.

* Saturday: at Detroit, 4:30 p.m.-x

* May 12: at Anaheim, 7 p.m.-x

* May 14: at Detroit, 4:30 p.m.-x

x-if necessary

OTHER SERIES (C9)

* N.Y. Rangers 2, New Jersey 0

Series tied 1-1

* Colorado 4, Edmonton 1

Avalanche leads series 2-0