Selanne, Ducks Beat Blackhawks 3-2

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 26, 1998 / 1:21 AM EST / CBS Sportsline

Teemu Selanne has been the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' offensive "go-to" guy all season. And Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, Selanne helped keep his team going in the right direction.

His 50th goal of the season, scored with 15 seconds remaining in the second period, snapped a 2-2 tie and propelled Anaheim to its third straight win, 3-2.

"The biggest thing for myself is to help the team win," said Selanne, who became the first NHL player to reach the 50-goal plateau this season, "but the 50th goal is nice if you can do it to help your team win."

Selanne, who also had an assist, now has 82 points in 66 games to rank third in league scoring. He has scored 50 goals or more in a season three times.

"This time, I think scoring 50 goals is bigger than in the past," said Selanne, who had 51 for Anaheim last season and 76 in his rookie season, 1992-93, with the Winnipeg Jets. "It's been a lot harder, especially without Paul (Kariya). I'm facing the top defensemen all the time."

Ironically, Selanne posted his game-winning 50th against the team that might have ended Kariya's season. Chicago's Gary Suter cross-checked Kariya in the face Kariya, who had 17 goals and 14 assists in 22 games after holding out at the start of the season, suffered a concussion and has not played since. Feb. 1 in Anaheim.

On Wednesday, Josef Marha and Scott Young also scored for Anaheim, which owns a four-game unbeaten streak on the road.

"This was a good road game for us," said Anaheim coach Pierre Page. ``I thought we paid the price. Whenever you get two points here, you have to earn them.

"The guys seem to be relaxed," added Page of his team's success away from Anaheim. "We've got some lines going well, we've left them together and we're finding a little confidence."

The win lifted Anaheim from last place, 13th in the Western Conference, past Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto into 10th place.

"We tried to do things we haven't been doing," said Chicago coach Craig Hartsburg. "We got away from the way we need to play. We tried to get too fancy 1-on-1 instead of helping each other."

Weinrich opened the scoring 2:29 into the game by firing into a wide-open Anaheim net to complete a 2-on-1 with Greg Johnson. Marha replied for the Mighty Ducks, tucking a backhander past Chicago goaltender Jeff Hackett from the edge of the crease after taking a short feed from J.F. Jomphe.

Young put the Mighty Ducks ahead in the middle period when he beat Hackett between the legs with a low shot. Amonte, however, tied it with a bouncing power-play deflection past goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov.

Selanne won it with 15 seconds to go in the period. He cut off the left wing boards with thpuck, skated across the slot, fought off a defender and beat Hackett on the stick side.

Buoyed by Shtalenkov's sharp work, the Mighty Ducks held on.