Mighty Ducks barely quacking

Anaheim enters Game 5 tonight against the Oilers mired in a 3-1 series hole.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- With a bit of Jiggy and a bit of juggling, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are still going in the Western Conference finals.
As the Oilers threatened to sweep the Mighty Ducks, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle made a goalie switch -- going back to Jean-Sebastien Giguere -- and did some line-mixing. Both worked, with the Ducks taking a 6-3 victory in Edmonton Thursday to bring the series back to Anaheim for Game 5 tonight.
"We're in a situation if we lose another hockey game, our season is over. All we can do is try to build on the positives," Carlyle said Friday.
The Ducks are still on the brink of elimination, down 3-1 and facing the long odds of becoming only the third team in NHL history to win a playoff series after losing the first three games.
They're certainly feeling better about themselves, though, after scoring nine goals against Dwayne Roloson and the Oilers in the last four periods, ending a losing streak in Edmonton that stretched back to 1999, and halting Edmonton's seven-game playoff winning string.
"Scoring the nine goals has given us confidence that we can score," Carlyle said. "There was an aura about their goaltending situation, that we weren't able to score. But we found a way to get pucks by them, and we've worked hard in a lot of areas. It's not just that one area."
Different offensive look
Along with putting Giguere back in the net, Carlyle used different line combinations in Game 4 to give a different look to the offense.
"Things weren't going our way on the offensive side, so it's the coach's responsibility to try to change things," Carlyle said. "In the situation we were presented, we felt that it was necessary to move some people around."
Giguere, the playoff MVP during the Ducks' run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2003, played just well enough in the Game 4 victory. He gave up three goals on the first nine shots he faced, but then stopped Edmonton's last 14.
Although Carlyle wouldn't say Friday whether Giguere or Ilya Bryzgalov would be in goal for Game 5, Giguere figures to get the start.
Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer said it was good to see Giguere step up, especially since he was gracious after being benched.
"He's handled it very well," he said. "It's a tough situation, a guy who's been around and had to step aside while the other goalie was out there.
"To see him come in there and get a big win like that, it was great to see all the guys behind him."
Happy to be back
Giguere, who hadn't played since April 29, was happy to be back in the thick of things.
"Playoffs are a lot of fun and you want to be a part of the big games," said Giguere, who had lost the job to Bryzgalov during the opening round against Calgary.
"When you score six goals, you should be able to get the win," Giguere said. "We know if we play our game and forecheck and stuff, they're human just like us. They'll get tired, they'll make mistakes, they'll take penalties.
"Their goaltender is human, after all."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.