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McDonald gets revenge against old team as Blues beat Ducks

Feb 2, 2008 - 6:37 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Andy McDonald made his old team pay for trading him.

McDonald scored the decisive goal in the shootout and Manny Legace stopped 30 shots as the Blues posted a 1-0 victory Friday over the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks.

McDonald was a key part of the Ducks' championship run, leading the team with 10 goals in the playoffs after scoring 27 and adding 51 assists during the regular season. However, in what was considered a cost-cutting move, he was traded to St. Louis in a deal involving Doug Weight on December 14.

On Friday, he made the Ducks regret the decision. The six-year veteran beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere with a shot that found the top left corner of the net in the first round of the shootout after All-Star Ryan Getzlaf lost control of the puck on Anaheim's initial attempt.

"I just tried to do something that I haven't done in the past, and (Giguere) probably knows a few things (about me) I don't realize," McDonald said.

"I've had plenty of practice against him, and it didn't do me any good tonight," Giguere said.

Legace made the goal stand but was concerned about the possibility of facing his former teammate in the bonus format.

"As soon as we scored the first one, the crowd got fired up," Legace said. "I thought (Weight) might be the third guy."

But Weight never got the chance, as Legace stopped Todd Bertuzzi with his right pad in the second round and Brad Boyes sealed the win when he slid the puck inside the right goalpost on St. Louis' second opportunity.

"Manny's Manny. He's won so many games for us this year, and tonight, he made huge saves," said Boyes, who scored the game-winning goal against the Ducks on October 23. "They're a playoff team and they know how to win. That's the kind of hockey we need to play."

Legace, who recorded his fourth shutout of the season, was brilliant in his first home game since allowing the winning goal in the All-Star Game on Sunday. The nine-year pro stopped seven shots in the first period, 11 in the second, nine in the third and three in overtime for his 22nd career blanking.

The last of his seven first-period saves came on the only shot registered by Weight, who found out first-hand what shooters are up against when facing Legace.

"Everything against him has been a tip-in, a rebound, a backdoor or a fluke," Weight said. "For the most part, if he sees it, he makes the save. We had our chances, but that's Manny."

Legace played a big role in successfully killing all four of Anaheim's power plays, the last of which extended into overtime after Keith Tkachuk tripped Todd Marchant behind the Blues' net with 83 seconds left in the third period.

"(The penalty kill) was huge, going into overtime down 4-on-3," Legace said.

"One of our strengths all year has been the penalty kill, and it came up big tonight," St. Louis coach Andy Murray added. "We just wanted to make sure we get a point. As I said on the bench, every point is valuable."

Giguere matched his counterpart prior to the shootout, making seven saves in the first period, three in the second, nine in the third and one in the extra session en route to his third shutout of the season and 28th career.

A former Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Giguere forced the bonus format by making a huge save on defenseman Bryce Salvador's backhander from the slot with 11 seconds left in overtime.

The loss was the fifth in a row for Anaheim, which has reached the dubious mark for the first time since dropping eight consecutive games from November 3-20, 2005.

"We played more the kind of hockey that's going to be required to be successful. We battled all over the rink," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "But these shootouts are tough when you lose them, and they're great when you win."

McDonald was pleased with his new team's resolve, as well as the result, on what was an emotional night for him.

"It was a little distracting at times," he said. "We just had to concentrate. We played in a playoff atmosphere, we played a smart game and that's what we needed to do. We needed the point so bad, whether we win in regulation or the shootout. We battled hard."