Ducks run into a wall in shootout loss

ST. LOUIS -- For a team that had reached a lowlight this season in dropping five games in a row, there weren’t many long faces in the Ducks’ locker room Friday night.

Maybe it was the contented feeling that they had after putting in an honest night’s work, an element that had been missing of late. It was also an effort that would have left them victorious if not for a hot goalie showing his All-Star form on the opponents’ side.

Simply put, in the Ducks’ 1-0 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center, Manny Legace turned away everything the defending Stanley Cup champions threw at him.

Legace stopped 30 shots in regulation and overtime and then foiled Ryan Getzlaf and Todd Bertuzzi in the shootout. And there were several quality chances by the Ducks, including breakaways by Travis Moen, Brandon Bochenski and Chris Kunitz in the first period and Getzlaf’s one-timer in the second that the goalie stopped, which got him a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 19,150.

“You have to step it up against these guys or they’ll bury you in a hurry,” said the 34-year-old Legace, who on Sunday had played in his first All-Star game. “I got to meet a lot of them. I understand why these guys go a long way every year.”

Legace out-dueled the Ducks’ Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who stopped all 20 shots he faced before the shootout after being removed in the second period of his previous two starts. Though he didn’t need to be spectacular, Giguere made some key saves of his own. The biggest came with seconds left in overtime on Bryce Salvador’s backhand shot right in front.

“When they’re on, there’s not a lot of stuff laying around,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “That’s when we know our goaltender’s playing well. Stuff seems to stick to him.”

Andy McDonald took advantage of his moment in his first game against the Ducks since he was traded to St. Louis for Doug Weight on Dec. 14. McDonald spent his first six-plus seasons in Anaheim and put thousands of shots on Giguere in countless practice sessions. Blues Coach Andy Murray counted on that knowledge by putting the center out first in the shootout.

“I kind of knew it was probably going to happen,” McDonald said. “You get put in that position and you want to help the team. Jiggy’s a pretty outstanding goalie, so I’m fortunate that I know him pretty well.

“It’s nice to be able to contribute and help the team win. It’s pretty nice when it’s against your former team.”

McDonald got Giguere moving one way with a slight fake to his backhand before he beat him stick side with a clean wrist shot.

“I’ve seen him a lot of times in practice,” Giguere said. “So I just wanted to try to react to what he was going to do. He’s got a few moves in his bag. I didn’t want to overthink it. He made a nice play.”

Following Legace’s save on Bertuzzi, Brad Boyes tucked a shot under Giguere’s left skate to end a tightly contested game that left the Ducks feeling optimistic even though they’ve scored just five goals in the current losing streak.

“That’s the best we’ve played in a long time, even with that win streak,” said Weight, who spent seven years in St. Louis.

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TONIGHT

at Philadelphia, 4 PST, FSN Prime Ticket

Site -- Wachovia Center.

Radio -- 830.

Records -- Ducks 27-21-7, Flyers 28-17-5.

Record vs. Flyers (2006-07) -- 0-1-0.

Update -- Former Ducks winger Joffrey Lupul, who went to Edmonton in the Chris Pronger trade, was having a strong comeback season with 16 goals and 35 points in 39 games, but he is currently out because of a bruised spinal cord.

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