Duncan Keith

Call it the luck of the Mighty Ducks. There was plenty of Irish green in the air Friday night at the half-filled United Center, but the faces on the Ducks nearly turned several shades of red after allowing the hapless Chicago Blackhawks to hang around all game and nearly tie it in the final seconds.

When the NHL season resumes next week, there just might be some bragging done by the American Olympians in the Kings' and Ducks' locker rooms after Team USA's 5-3 victory over Canada on Sunday in their final preliminary game of the Olympic hockey tournament. The only Southern California player whose name turned up on the score sheet in a positive fashion was Bobby Ryan of the Ducks, who earned an assist on the Chris Drury goal that gave the Americans a 3-2 lead at 16:46 of the second period.

From Vancouver, Canada Kings defenseman Drew Doughty asked his father to make sure the text message he had gotten from a friend wasn't a joke and that he truly is a finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's top defenseman as voted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Assn. It was no prank. It also won't be a one-time honor. Doughty, third among defensemen in scoring this season with 59 points, will be 20 years and six months old when the trophy is awarded in June.

A few good shifts and missing an open net in the third period of the Kings' 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday apparently earned winger Trent Hunter a spot on the first line Monday against San Jose. Coach Terry Murray, whose team has scored seven goals in the last four games, revamped his top three lines in practice Sunday to promote Hunter. Although the veteran has no goals and two assists in 11 games and has averaged only 11 minutes and nine seconds' ice time, he's expected to play on Anze Kopitar's right.

NHL PLAYOFFS :: FIRST LOOKS NO. 8 KINGS (40-27-15) vs. NO. 1 VANCOUVER (51-22-9) They met four times this season, with each team winning twice. One game went to a shootout (Jan. 17), which the Kings won. Two others were decided in regulation by a margin of one goal (Nov. 10 and March 26) and the only one-sided outcome was a contentious meeting on New Year's Eve at Staples Center in which the Kings won, 4-1. That night, Kings center Anze Kopitar ended a career-worst streak of 17 games without a goal.

A lot of colleges are narrow-minded and bound by convention. So you have to admire one that would hire Dave Hanley as an assistant professor in the history department. The unstable and immature Hanley (Paul Provenza) has no teaching experience and last worked as a lumberjack. And who does he meet on his first day on the job in tonight's premiere of ABC's comedy "The Pursuit of Happiness" (at 9:30 p.m. on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42)?

CHICAGO - If the Kings had been as consistently effective Sunday as Coach Darryl Sutter was in summing up his team's 3-2 loss to the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks, the defending Stanley Cup champions might not be lurching into the second quarter of this abbreviated season with a losing record. Floored by the Blackhawks' insistent start at the United Center, the Kings (5-6-2) didn't awaken until the third period. Two power-play goals by Mike Richards made it close, but they couldn't catch up, even with a late power play and goaltender Jonathan Quick pulled in favor of an extra skater.

Whether it was a coaching change before Christmas or a major trade engineered before the deadline, one thing became clear during this turbulent Kings season — these weren't the actions of a painstakingly cautious organization tied too closely to a rigid building plan. Detonation? More like a midcourse correction by Kings' General Manager Dean Lombardi. Is too much change, or not enough, for them to find success in the playoffs? The answer will start to take form Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Channel 13)

The Ducks, fresh off a season-high seven goals, welcomed back Teemu Selanne, who had sat out five weeks because of a thigh injury. So the offensive problems should be taken care of, right? In goal, they started Jonas Hiller, who for the last month has clearly been their best goalie. Those problems solved, correct? Instead, it was the same old story for the Ducks, who played just well enough to lose to Chicago, 3-2, in front of a sellout crowd at the Honda Center.

Through Monday's games (last week's ranking) 1. Washington, 19-5-6; Capitals win six straight games, including two without suspended Alexander Ovechkin. Even the NHL couldn't overlook his last transgression. (5) 2. Chicago, 18-7-3; Blackhawks lock up Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith long term. Insane money for Keith: 13 years, $72 million. (2) 3. Pittsburgh, 20-10-1; Penguins are upset by Hurricanes despite the return of Sidney Crosby from a sore groin. (4) 4. New Jersey, 20-7-1; Martin Brodeur ties Terry Sawchuk's career shutout record of 103 by blanking the Sabres.