Selanne in Game 3? ‘For Sure’

Teemu Selanne limped slowly out of Joe Louis Arena on Sunday, but his answer came quickly.

Can he play in Game 3 on Tuesday at the Pond?

“For sure,” Selanne said.

Goalie Guy Hebert wasn’t quite as positive, but said it’s possible he’ll be ready.

“Actually, it feels pretty good,” said Hebert, who suffered a slight groin strain as he made a save midway through the third period. “I don’t think it’s too bad. It’s a long series ahead. It’s better to take care of it now.

“It’s day-to-day. Hopefully, I’ll wake up tomorrow feeling pretty good.”

Selanne was injured by Kirk Maltby’s unpenalized slash in the first overtime.

“That’s a two-handed baseball swing at the back of a guy’s legs,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. “That’s subject to supplemental discipline, I hope.”

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Game 3 on Tuesday night will be carried by both Fox Sports West and Fox Sports West 2, but Game 4 Thursday night will only be on Fox Sports West 2.

Fox Sports West has been simulcasting Duck playoff games but is unable to simulcast Thursday’s game because the Lakers face Utah in Game 3 of their NBA playoff series at the same time.

The Ducks figure to request that the Southern California blackout of ESPN2 of Thursday’s game be lifted, but Fox Sports West may contest it.

“We believe we have exclusive rights,” Kitty Cohen, Fox Sports West general manager, said Sunday. “What Thursday night’s situation shows is that we really do need two channels.”

Cohen said Fox Sports West will continue to offer cable operators Fox Sports West 2 free, with no obligation, as long as the Ducks remain alive, but no cable outlets have taken them up on that offer.

Fox Sports West 2 is available on only a few cable systems in Southern California and none in Orange County. Cohen said negotiations with cable companies regarding Fox Sports West 2 are progressing and some deals are imminent.

Possibly before Thursday?

“Possibly,” Cohen said.

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The Ducks complained about referee Dan Marouelli’s call on J.J. Daigneault for hooking Doug Brown, sending the Red Wings on a power play to win the game.

But Brown said he wasn’t surprised Marouelli made the call, even in the third overtime.

“I didn’t even think about it,” Brown said. “I just went to the net. It’s a goal-scoring opportunity. When you’re pulled down in that situation, it’s a penalty.”

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Defenseman Dave Karpa and winger Ted Drury, two of the Ducks’ bigger hitters, didn’t play because of mild shoulder injuries and remain listed as day-to-day.

Jason Marshall took Karpa’s place in the lineup, and Mike Leclerc replaced Drury.

Times staff writer Larry Stewart contributed to this story.