Redeye Is Ducks’ Affliction

EDMONTON, Canada — Tired? Nah, the Mighty Ducks weren’t tired Wednesday after their second game in two nights in two countries in two time zones.

Exhausted. Beat. Gassed. Fatigued beyond comprehension. But definitely not tired.

Here’s all you need to know about the Ducks’ 2-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers before an announced crowd of 15,673 at SkyReach Centre:

Paul Kariya shanked a gimme one-timer from the right faceoff circle with goalie Guy Hebert on the bench in favor of a sixth skater in the final minute.

“I didn’t get good wood on it,” Kariya said sheepishly.

Was the net as wide open as it looked from the press box?

“Oh, yeah,” said Kariya, the Ducks’ leader with 37 goals.

Chalk up Kariya’s miss and the Ducks’ loss to the NHL schedule-maker. Perhaps someone should point out to the powers that be in New York City that Edmonton is not a northern suburb of Los Angeles. Don’t count on the Ducks objecting--at least not for print, anyway.

“There’s no sense whining about it,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said.

For the record, the Ducks departed LAX at 11:30 p.m. after defeating the Kings, 5-2, Tuesday at Staples Center. They touched down in Edmonton at 3:45 a.m. MST, cleared customs and boarded a bus for a 30-minute ride to their downtown hotel, checking in at 4:30.

“We gave it a good effort, but I think you saw in the third period that we didn’t have any extra zip,” Hartsburg acknowledged after fielding about a dozen questions about the Ducks’ grueling travel.

“In the last minute, Paul misses that shot. . . . Those were some tired guys out there. [Today,] we’ll rest and get ready for another big game Friday in Vancouver.

“We’re not going to make any excuses.”

It would seem to be a wasted exercise at this point. After all, the Ducks missed a chance to tie the Oilers for seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

Instead, the Ducks are alone in ninth place with 76 points. They are two points behind the eighth-place San Jose Sharks, who rallied to defeat the Canucks, 4-3, Wednesday at San Jose Arena.

“We have to step over it and be ready for Vancouver,” defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky said. “There’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves.”

The Ducks certainly had their chances Wednesday, but a sluggish start and a couple of unlucky bounces doomed them.

The smooth-skating Oilers took command early, but had trouble getting their shots on target after beating the Ducks down the ice. Finally, with rookie defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski in the penalty box for interference, Edmonton’s Tom Poti put a shot from the right point past Hebert at 10:52.

The shot deflected off Duck defenseman Kevin Haller and Hebert never had a chance.

Ed Ward then got the Ducks even, slipping a rebound under Tommy Salo at 15:23. Antti Aalto beat Rem Murray on a faceoff, managing to fire the puck at Salo. Ward outraced a couple of Oilers to the rebound and the score was tied.

Center Doug Weight scored the winner for Edmonton with 2:59 left in the second period, tapping a loose puck past Hebert seconds after a slashing penalty against Duck defenseman Ruslan Salei expired.

Hebert didn’t have a chance on that one either. Edmonton’s Janne Niinimaa misfired from the left wing, the puck appeared to hit a Duck in the rear end and was resting in the crease waiting to be tucked into the net.

Weight got to the puck first and the Ducks were soon history.

“We did a good job of battling,” Hartsburg said. “I can’t question our preparation or our desire to get it done. It doesn’t help to complain [about the difficult travel] or use it as an excuse. . . . When you lose a game at this time of year, you can’t over-analyze things. You’ve got to think ahead. Every day something new comes up.”

However, the Ducks still had miles to go before they could sleep. They departed after Wednesday’s game for an hourlong flight to Vancouver and another 30-minute bus ride before reaching their hotel.