The Anaheim Ducks' season-high fifth straight victory was tempered substantially with word that Teemu Selanne fractured his jaw.
Playing his third game after missing the previous 17 because of a broken hand, Selanne was injured with 8:29 left in the Ducks' 4-3 victory over Boston on Wednesday night. Teammate Ryan Whitney took a slap shot from the left point that deflected off the stick of Boston's Miroslav Satan and bounced up into Selanne's face.
``We'll have to see if it can be surgically repaired tomorrow and what kind of time frame they're going to give us,'' coach Randy Carlyle said. ``It's a tough loss, especially the way it happened. That's unfortunate for Teemu. We know how much he loves to play the game. It's unfortunate for him and unfortunate for us. We were just starting to get some bodies back in our lineup and get our likes settled, but that's just the way it goes. Injuries are part of it.''
Selanne, a 10-time All-Star and three-time NHL goal-scoring champion, is expected to be sidelined anywhere from four to eight weeks. He was planing on competing in the his second Olympics next month in Vancouver.
Defenseman Steve Eminger gave Anaheim the lead in the third period with his first goal of the season, and Todd Marchant set up Ryan Getzlaf's 100th NHL goal with his 300th career assist. Dan Sexton had a power-play goal, and fellow rookie Matt Beleskey also scored for the Ducks, who were coming off a 3-1 win at Chicago in which they were outshot 43-12 and tied a franchise record for fewest shots in a game.
Jonas Hiller made 27 saves after going 4-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average in his previous four starts and stopping all but four of the 131 shots he faced - including 42 saves against the Blackhawks.
The victory over Boston put the Ducks four points behind Los Angeles, with a head-to-head matchup facing them Thursday night up the freeway at Staples Center.
``It was a great game, coming back after being down 3-2 in the second period,'' Hiller said. ``It was not easy to come back after giving up three goals in the second on six shots, but where you are at the end of the 60 minutes is what counts, and we found a way to win. We didn't fall apart, and it shows that we've gained some confidence over the last couple of games.''
Zedeno Chara, Marco Sturm and defenseman Matt Hunwick scored for the short-handed Bruins, who have lost four of their last five. Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for Boston while Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas got the night off. It was only the second time in 17 starts this season that Rask allowed more than three goals.
``The effort was there tonight, and that is what is frustrating,'' Bruins coach Claude Julien said. ``Mistakes ended up costing us in the end. But is we can get the same kind of effort and cut down on our mistakes, we will be on the right track.''
Playing without top centers Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron and defensemen Andrew Ference and Mark Stuart, Boston began a three-game California trip that followed a pair of listless losses to Chicago and the New York Rangers. After this trip concludes with a Saturday matinee at Los Angeles, the Bruins don't play another game outside of the Eastern time zone the rest of the regular season.
NOTES: Boston D Adam McQuaid, playing in his sixth NHL game, got his first fighting major when he tangled with Troy Bodie at 4:11 of the first period. The 6-foot-4, 197-pound McQuaid totaled 141 penalty minutes in 78 games last season with Providence of the AHL. ... Selanne needs five assists to tie Bobby Orr for 57th place on the career list at 645. ... This was Boston's first game in Anaheim since Oct. 10, 2007. The Bruins' last regulation victory here was Oct. 24, 1999. ... The Bruins have lost three straight games in regulation for the first time since a four-game stretch in December 2007. ... The Ducks have scored more than four goals only once in 44 games since the win at Boston.
