Ducks Shoulder Some Setbacks on Defense

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD

May 4, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

DETROIT — The Mighty Ducks probably will be without two of their most valuable players for Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings.

No, all-star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne are fit and ready to play today at Joe Louis Arena.

But two of the enforcers are aching.

Forward Ted Drury and defenseman David Karpa, who are better suited to making a crunching check than scoring goals, have shoulder injuries that could keep them from playing today.

To be sure, goals win hockey games, but so does physical play. Kariya and Selanne enable the Ducks to match strides and scoring chances with the Red Wings. But the Ducks won’t measure up in the trenches against Detroit’s instigators and troublemakers without Drury and Karpa.

They have been two of the Ducks’ most effective tough guys during the postseason.

Drury’s check on Jeremy Roenick, accidental though it was, knocked the Phoenix winger from the conference quarterfinals because of a torn knee ligament. Karpa has played sound defense and added a dose of hard checking.

But their shoulder injuries--suffered at the hands of two of the Red Wings’ more physical players--make their status questionable, according to Coach Ron Wilson.

Drury suffered what the medical staff called a stinger, a mild nerve injury often associated with a tough tackle in football, when he collided with Detroit defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov.

“We’ll see. . . . I don’t know,” Drury said when asked if he could play in Game 2.

If Drury can’t go, Wilson will replace him with either Mike Leclerc or Igor Nikulin. Both are rookies who spent almost all of the regular season at Baltimore of the American Hockey League.

Karpa twisted his left shoulder after a rough takedown by Red Wing forward Tomas Sandstrom after a goal-mouth scramble.

“I couldn’t have played [Saturday], but you know these things, a day or two can change it,” said Karpa, who underwent an MRI exam.

Wilson plans to move Jason Marshall, who gave the Ducks a lift with his physical play in the Phoenix series, into Karpa’s spot.

Other than shuffling his lineup, Wilson plans no major shake-ups for Game 2. Expect the Ducks to stick to their methodical defensive game plan, hoping to frustrate the Red Wings into mistakes they can convert into scoring chances.

Wilson was asked Saturday if the Ducks’ “boring” style wasn’t simply aimed at lulling the Red Wings to sleep.

“I don’t know, is winning boring?” Wilson said. “I’d rather win boring than lose exciting.”

Wilson acknowledged that Karpa’s absence for the final 10 minutes of regulation probably hurt the Ducks, who failed to hold a 1-0 lead en route to a 2-1 overtime loss.

“He was playing a very good game,” Wilson said. “We’re going to miss him on the penalty kill and how he can really irritate people. Marshall will step in.”

Marshall, a second-year player, isn’t above a bit of dirty work as he proved against Phoenix. But can he play the pivotal physical role both teams expect from Konstantinov?

It’s a daunting task.

“I think he takes liberties, but I don’t think he’s dirty,” Wilson said of Konstantinov, who shadowed Kariya with only mild success in Game 1.

Not everyone agrees with Wilson. Even the Red Wings are sometimes unsure about Konstantinov’s motives.

“Before I came here I used to suspect he was a dirty player,” said Detroit winger Brendan Shanahan, acquired from Hartford last fall. “Now, I know he is.”

But that doesn’t mean Shanahan doesn’t admire Konstantinov’s handiwork. He believes Konstantinov has a bad reputation because he’s Russian and not Canadian or American.

“If he were from Moose Jaw, he’d be up for the Norris trophy every year,” Shanahan said, referring to the award for the NHL’s top defenseman. “He’s no more dirty than Chris Chelios or Kevin Hatcher.”

Shanahan’s first run-in with Konstantinov happened during a brawl in a Canada-Russia junior game some years ago.

“We weren’t paired off together, but we’ve since looked at the video,” Shanahan said. “He showed me where he was. I pointed out where I was. He didn’t start the fight, but he was a major contributor.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

DUCKS VS. RED WINGS

* What: Game 2 of best-of-seven series.

* When, Where: 11 a.m. at Detroit

* TV: Channel 11

YOUNG AT HEART

Detroit’s Scotty Bowman is proof that you can teach an old coach new tricks. C12

SERIES OPENER

Philadelphia rallied to beat Buffalo in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. C12

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

DUCKS vs. RED WINGS