Anaheim

Goalie emergencies struck the Ducks on Friday. The Dallas Stars scored three goals against Ducks goaltender Viktor Fasth in a first-period span of just more than 10 minutes en route to a 3-1 victory at Honda Center. Hours earlier, when it appeared no one in the organization was capable of taking the bench as Fasth's backup, the Ducks for the second time this season summoned an emergency substitute after Jonas Hiller was ill and ruled out. BOX SCORE: Stars 3, Ducks 1 The Ducks' evening was also tainted by the absence of captain Ryan Getzlaf (13 goals, 30 assists)

The last time the Ducks were in town, it appeared their kingdom was collapsing. They had been undone twice by precision-passing Detroit, allowed far too many shots to desperate San Jose and looked fatigued and unnerved in their March 27 road-trip opener at the Sharks. "It's difficult to sustain the pace," Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau explained Tuesday. "They're human beings. They get emotionally and physically tired. "They couldn't get up for a while. Great teams can go on a six- or seven-game slide.

J.P. Crawford of Lakewood can create havoc on the base paths with his speed. He tries to get on base any way possible, and one way is with a drag bunt that he pulled off with precision on Tuesday in an opening game of the Boras Classic at Mater Dei. With two outs in the third inning, he got a bunt to fall in front of Anaheim Canyon second baseman Cole Garcia and reached first safely. He moved to second on a steal, went to third on an errant pickoff attempt and soon scored on a two-run single by Jonathan Pasillas.

DALLAS - It didn't take an advanced course in hockey metrics to explain how the Ducks ended their power-play drought and general offensive struggles in a 4-0 silencing of the Stars at American Airlines Center on Monday, their first shutout at Dallas in 60 regular-season and playoff games. "We shot," winger Corey Perry said. "You shoot the puck, you're going to get chances. We've been shooting but we haven't been getting those second chances and opportunities. That's what makes the difference.

— This wasn't as big a crash-and-burn exercise as after the last time the Ducks beat the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in March. At least Anaheim salvaged a point from an often spotty showing Sunday at Nationwide Arena as the resurgent Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Ducks, 2-1, in overtime. Center Mark Letestu, who set up the Blue Jackets' first goal, scored the winner with one minute left in overtime, beating goalie Jonas Hiller stick side with a shot from the left circle. Granted, it was going to be tough to come back to reality after Friday's energizing win, one with a playoff-like atmosphere, by the Ducks at Chicago.

The police chief of Orange County's largest city has announced that he will retire in May, ending a 42-year career in law enforcement. John Welter, 64, began his career at the San Diego Police Department. He was the second in command there before he joined the Anaheim force, according to a city statement.  The department has been widely criticized in the last year over several fatal police shootings , including two that involved Latino men in the city's poorest neighborhoods.

Now, it's all about avoiding the Chicago Letdown. After their last victory against the Blackhawks, the Ducks promptly went into an emotional tailspin, losing their next four games, dotted with poor performances in the first period. They finally got a correction with a significant win against the Blackhawks in Chicago on Friday night. Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller downplayed the meaning of being 3-0 against the Blackhawks. The Ducks won, 2-1, on Friday in a game crackling with playoff-type intensity.

CHICAGO — So sad, so unfortunate that the final 14 games of the regular season for the Anaheim Ducks will be Blackhawk-less. Three games between the Ducks and Chicago produced three chapters of riveting hockey theater, all featuring slightly different plots with the same ending. The Ducks won Part 3 with defenseman Sheldon Souray's blast from the left point with 2 minutes 8 seconds remaining in regulation, beating the Blackhawks, 2-1, Friday night at the United Center, sweeping their season series, three games to none.

SAN JOSE -- The Ducks confront not just the problem of overcoming four consecutive losses. They could also be revealing the script opponents should follow to clinch their demise. "We have to find the crux of the problem of our starts sooner or later because every team in the NHL sees this and will say, 'Get on them in the first five minutes, they're never ready,'" Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. Turning in what could be strongly argued as their worst performance of the season, the Ducks were beaten by the San Jose Sharks, 4-0, Wednesday night at HP Pavilion, giving up three goals in the first 9 minutes 20 seconds.

Less than a week ago, the Ducks had a legitimate claim as the NHL's best team. Now they just want to win a game. The San Jose Sharks on Monday handed the flailing Pacific Division leaders their third consecutive loss at home, 5-3, as the grind of the lockout-shortened schedule and reality they'll be taking every opponent's best shot from here forward is at hand. "We were soft in a lot of ways, they out-battled us," defenseman Sheldon Souray said after San Jose (14-11-6) improved to 5-10-2 on the road by out-shooting the Ducks, 39-27.