Consolation Prizes Don’t Thrill Ducks : Hockey: Team not satisfied with Wilson’s praise after blowing lead in 5-3 loss to Calgary.

Keeping track of the W’s and L’s has become such a discouraging exercise for the Mighty Ducks that on Sunday afternoon their coach basically settled for an E, for effort.

The Ducks had a two-goal lead over division-leading Calgary but didn’t protect it, losing to the Flames, 5-3, after giving up three goals in the final eight minutes. An empty-net goal by Ronnie Stern with 31 seconds to go sealed the outcome in front of 17,174 at The Pond.

It’s an indication of the depth of the team’s struggles that Coach Ron Wilson chose to focus on the work ethic. The Ducks have won only two of their last 12 games and have scored more than two goals only five times this season.

“Every loss is disappointing, but when the effort’s there, I can go to bed and sleep,” Wilson said. “The only thing I’m gauging right now is effort.”

Some of his players either had a tougher time swallowing the loss or were more straightforward about it.

“I thought we carried the play the first two periods, but when you go into the third period up, 2-1, and lose, 5-3, something’s wrong,” said center Bob Corkum. He was back in the lineup after missing four games because of post-concussion syndrome that resulted from a Bryan Marchment elbow to the head Feb. 12 in Edmonton.

“I’m not going to point fingers, but there’s no reason to be looking for a third goal when you’re up, 2-1,” Corkum said. “I’m sour about this loss. I didn’t like our play at all in the third period.”

Veteran defenseman Tom Kurvers, banished from the lineup for three games because of his poor defensive play, got another chance Sunday. He responded with a better effort, scoring a power-play goal to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 5:37 of the second period. Kurvers stood tough in front of the net and knocked the puck in off a pass from Paul Kariya. It was Kurvers’ fourth goal of the season.

The Ducks led, 2-0, after Shaun Van Allen ripped a shot from the top of the left circle into the opposite corner of the net, beating Trevor Kidd high at 8:53 of the second.

With a two-goal lead, the Ducks could forget they managed only two shots in the first period, a season low. They also could go into their characteristic defensive shell, but they didn’t--or didn’t do it well enough.

Calgary, which leads the Pacific Division with a 9-6-3 record (21 points), cut the lead to 2-1 at 14:19 of the second period when Sheldon Kennedy camped out in front of the Ducks’ net and deflected Phil Housley’s point shot.

Kevin Dahl tied the score 2 1/2 minutes into the third, and then Kennedy scored the go-ahead goal, his second goal of the game, on a funny bounce from close range when he knocked the puck high in the air and into the net behind Duck goalie Guy Hebert.

Kidd, who stopped Joe Sacco on a two-on-one rush shortly before Kennedy’s go-ahead goal, made 19 saves for the victory.

The score was 4-2 after a shot by Kurvers was blocked on one end and Robert Reichel took off on a breakaway, giving the Flames a two-goal lead at 15:54.

Kariya, who hadn’t scored a goal since Feb. 1, tightened the score when he beat Kidd from just to the left of the net at 18:35 for his fifth goal of the season. But the Ducks couldn’t tie it, and Stern sealed the outcome after Hebert was pulled for an extra attacker.

“Myself, I should have had two or three goals in the second period,” Kariya said. “When we get a lead, A, we have to bury them with a couple of goals, and B, we have to play better defense.”

Notes

Right wing Joe Sacco returned after missing seven games because of a broken left thumb. . . . Left wing Tim Sweeney’s four-game NHL suspension for breaking the finger of Calgary’s Phil Housley is over, but Wilson left him out of the lineup against the Flames. . . . Right wing Todd Ewen sat out because of a groin strain. Right wing Valeri Karpov and defenseman Mark Ferner were healthy scratches.