OK in the O.C.

This Anaheim Mighty Ducks season has already seen its share of lows.

There was the November trade of Sergei Fedorov for a journeyman center and an out-of-shape rookie defenseman. Anaheim was in last place then, and the deal had salary dump written all over it.

"It's a cap move," general manager Brian Burke admitted at the time.

There was the February eye injury suffered by Jordan Smith, a top prospect who had his career ended when he was struck by a deflected puck while playing for Portland in the American Hockey League.

Burke called the injury a "terrible tragedy."

Then there was the messy divorce with disgruntled wing Petr Sykora, who was finally dealt to the Rangers in January for a minor-league defenseman.

"Season-ticket holders are going to question it," Burke confessed to the Orange County Register.

And yet here the Mighty Ducks are, in the midst of a series that could propel them to their second Stanley Cup finals in three seasons.

That out-of-shape rookie became Francois Beauchemin, a top-pairing defenseman with a powerful shot and an equally dangerous mean streak. The same week Sykora was shipped out, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were recalled from Portland. Sykora wasn't missed.

The loss of Smith is still a blow, but Anaheim's system remains stocked with four of The Hockey News' top 75 prospects. Dustin Penner is on that list and he's been a star this playoff season.

So given how much pluck this Ducks team has displayed in 2005-06, maybe it was no surprise that it got off the deck after trailing 4-0 in the third period Tuesday and made a game of it. Anaheim threw everything it had at Edmonton and goalie Dwayne Roloson in Game 3.

The Ducks dominated the opening period, coming out swinging with two fights and putting all kinds of pressure on Roloson with 14 shots. They never quit fighting, even after a spate of penalties resulted in a four-goal deficit with 15 minutes remaining.

Anaheim probably won't avoid the knockout blow in this series. Its season will end Thursday, or maybe Saturday or Monday, but almost certainly before reaching the Stanley Cup finals.

And Burke won't have to apologize for that. No team has leaned on rookies like this club. Before Tuesday's game, 29 percent of the Mighty Ducks' postseason points had been accumulated by rookies. In goal, Ilya Bryzgalov, another rookie, nearly re-wrote the record books.

The system is stacked and Burke has money to spend after cutting loose Fedorov and Sykora. Free-agent-to-be Teemu Selanne will command some of that cash, of course, but if a piece is needed the funds are there.

THIRD STAR OF THE DAY

Another game, another key goal on a breakaway for Michael Peca. He took advantage of a bad giveaway by Ruslan Salei at the Edmonton blueline and skated in alone to beat Bryzgalov high on the glove side. Peca now has goals in four straight games and points in six in a row.

SECOND STAR OF THE DAY

Believe it or not, this was a 1-0 game with 18 minutes remaining in the third period. At that time, it looked like the story would once again be the play of Roloson. He stopped all 22 shots he faced in the first two periods and stood tall against what was a consciously physical Anaheim attack. Things got crazy in the final period as the teams traded punches until eight goals had been scored in a 16-minute span, but Roloson deserves credit for making some key saves down the stretch. He took one potential Anaheim goal directly off the goal line in a save reminiscent of Glen Wesley's theft in Game 2 of the East finals for Carolina.

FIRST STAR OF THE DAY

Before these playoffs started, Fernando Pisani had one goal in his last 12 games and no game-winning goals since Dec. 19. On Tuesday, the Edmonton right wing scored his ninth goal of the postseason and it held up as the game-winner, his third of the playoffs. He sure can pick his spots. With a goal on four shots in Game 3, he now has a .321 shooting percentage in the playoffs. And his timing couldn't have been better. Anaheim had just scored three unanswered goals in the third period and was on the verge of a miraculous comeback before Pisani jumped on a loose puck after a faceoff and bulldozed his way to Edmonton's fifth goal.

MINOR PENALTY

A goalie gaffe by San Jose's Vesa Toskala may have been the turning point of Edmonton's semifinal series win over the Sharks. Another misplay by a goaltender resulted in the Oilers' first goal of the night. After an Edmonton dump-in, Bryzgalov skated behind his net to play the puck. Oilers forward Rem Murray was closing in, leaving Bryzgalov two choices: play the puck in a hurry or use his body to shield Murray from the puck. He did neither, and his nonchalant approach resulted in a turnover. Toby Peterson collected the puck and stuffed it into the empty net before Bryzgalov could recover.

MAJOR PENALTY

Every faceoff is critical when you're down a goal in the final minutes of a playoff game. So when Anaheim needed to win a draw in its own zone with six minutes remaining, Todd Marchant entered the circle. He won the draw. Seconds later, however, the Mighty Ducks were fishing the puck out of their own net. Why? Because Pisani was allowed to jump the play and skate in on Bryzgalov without so much as absorbing a hit. Sure looked like Beauchemin missed his assignment on that play. Critical error.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR WEDNESDAY

Game 3: Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres – These teams split games in Carolina, then took turns trading punches through the media. Seems Buffalo thinks the Hurricanes are a bunch of divers, while Carolina thinks the Sabres are all whiners. The Hurricanes got into some penalty trouble in the third period Monday, but overall they've outplayed Buffalo in five of six periods to start the series. But home-ice advantage belongs to the Sabres now after stealing Game 1. It'll be critical for Carolina to carry the intensity it displayed Monday into Game 3 on the road.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT Watch

Can't blink without missing a goal during the third period of Tuesday's highlight package. The teams averaged a goal every two minutes during a frantic 16-minute span that culminated with a Teemu Selanne goal (that appeared to be kicked in by Todd Marchant).

Matt Romig is a Yahoo! Sports fantasy expert and NHL analyst. Send Matt a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Wednesday, May 24, 2006 4:20 am, EDT

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