No Win, but 1-1 Tie in Detroit Feels Mighty Good to Ducks

DETROIT —  The Red Wings had history on their side, but the Mighty Ducks had Guy Hebert on theirs.

The Ducks have never won at Joe Louis Arena, and in their short franchise history they have beaten the Red Wings only once in 14 tries.

With the season ticking down, they went into the third period against Detroit on Sunday locked in a scoreless battle, and then left town with a precious point after a 1-1 tie in front of 19,983.

“This is something we can certainly live with,” said Hebert, who made 34 saves to help keep the Ducks’ unbeaten streak alive at five games (3-0-2), the longest of their season. “We’re still waiting to relish our first victory in this old barn. But I think this is probably our best effort ever in this place.”

Goalie Mike Vernon stopped 24 shots for the Red Wings, who haven’t lost in their last eight, the longest current streak in the NHL.

“On the road against Detroit, one point is more than a tie,” right wing Teemu Selanne said. “I don’t know if it’s a win, but it’s more than a tie.

“Guy’s so important for us right now, especially in these low-scoring games. He has just been tremendous.”

The Ducks have been terrible on the road this season, but by eking out a point, they took three of a possible four points on a two-game trip that started with a victory over Washington on Friday.

“Getting three points on this road trip, I think we all would have taken that going into it,” left wing Paul Kariya said.

The tie enabled the Ducks to remain tied for eighth in the Western Conference, though it’s now with Phoenix, not Chicago, which moved into a tie with Calgary for sixth, one point ahead of the Ducks.

Most of Hebert’s work came in the second period, when he had to make 18 saves, but he credited the defense and the forwards for blocking a lot of shots--and for frustrating Brendan Shanahan, who had 14 goals during the month of February.

Detroit’s Kirk Maltby finally got to Hebert, scoring the first goal of the game 4:22 into the third, getting only his second goal of the season after he skated around Jari Kurri at the blue line, then eluded Darren Van Impe in front of the net before shoveling a bouncing puck past Hebert.

But the Ducks, determined and disciplined in the final period lately, came back. Once again, they got help from a member of the supporting cast, as Ted Drury scored the tying goal at 11:09.

“Guys stayed pretty focused. We didn’t get too rattled after they scored,” Drury, who scored his sixth goal of the season, and his first in 23 games. “I think I fanned on it the first time, but the puck was still lying there and I just kind of flicked it up,” Drury said.

It was the fourth time in the last five games the Ducks have gone into the third period tied, and once again, they did not lose. Maltby’s goal was the first they have allowed in the third since a goal in a loss to the Kings on Feb. 20, and only the second third-period goal in the last eight games.

“I wasn’t even thinking about a 0-0 tie,” Hebert said. “But I knew if it was a 0-0 game going into the third we had an awful good chance to win 1-0 or 2-1.”

The Ducks had their chances, particularly Kariya, who was foiled by Vernon on one good chance and nearly reached loose pucks for breakaways a couple of times. He also missed the net on a one-timer from high in the slot late in the game.

“The third period, we’re starting to get confident we can shut the other team down,” Kariya said. “When they scored, it was no big deal. Everybody kept plugging away.”

Both teams had only one shot in overtime.

“We wanted the other point,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “I don’t ever say to them, ‘All right, we’ve got out point, make sure we keep it that way.’ I tell them to bend but not break. We’ve been very successful in overtime. It’s been a long time since we’ve lost a game in overtime.”