The Ducks didn't quite back into the playoffs. Thanks to Teemu Selanne's slick shootout goal, they sidestepped their way in Friday with a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars, a game that echoed this season's inconsistencies and surprises.
"This was a symbol for our whole year," said goaltender Jonas Hiller, who stopped 42 shots during the first 65 minutes and two during the shootout -- and got help from the crossbar on another shootout attempt.
"Some good periods, some bad periods, and at the end we found a way to win, and that's what counts."
The Ducks play their regular-season finale tonight in Phoenix and can end up seeded sixth, seventh or eighth. Ending up in the playoffs was all that mattered to them Friday.
This is the fourth straight season they've made the playoffs, a franchise record. Their route wasn't easy. Too many penalties, not enough scoring and porous goaltending dropped them to 12th in the West on March 15 and appeared to put them out of the playoff picture.
"Maybe in some ways that took a little pressure off us," defenseman Scott Niedermayer said. "There was nothing left to do at that point but just try to do your best."
That was good enough for a 9-2 surge that carried them to Friday's game. They needed a win to get in or an overtime loss and a loss by Nashville. The Predators cooperated by losing to Minnesota, but the Ducks had a tough time with the long-eliminated Stars.
The Ducks had taken a 3-2 lead on Andrew Ebbett's conversion of a fine pass from Selanne at 13:56 of the third period, but Steve Ott tied it on a 35-foot shot that beat Hiller with 13.1 seconds left and goaltender Marty Turco pulled in favor of an extra skater.
In the shootout, James Neal scored in the second round and Ryan Getzlaf in the third to prolong the suspense. Selanne then beat Turco on a nifty move, dashing in and skidding to a stop before lifting the puck over a fallen Turco. Hiller stopped Loui Eriksson's wrist shot to preserve the victory.
"It wasn't easy, and it wasn't pretty," defenseman Chris Pronger said. "Jonas deserved better. It would have been nice not to put him through the shootout."
The standing-room-only crowd of 17,531 was in an expectant mood and was looking for reasons to cheer. Francois Beauchemin's return from knee surgery provided a big reason for fans to exult, and they rose to their feet to welcome back the defenseman whose physicality and savvy had been missed since he was injured on Nov. 14. Beauchemin played 15 minutes, 23 seconds, most of it paired with Sheldon Brookbank, and emerged in good enough shape to play on a second successive day.
