Shtalenkov Can’t Save Ducks in Overtime : Hockey: Goalie stops career-high 41 shots but Maple Leafs win, 3-2.

Mikhail Shtalenkov is the Mighty Duck goalie whose name isn’t nearly as much fun to say as Guy Hebert. But he has been outstanding in net for the Ducks lately, starting eight of the last 10 games while Hebert sits and waits and wonders when he’ll play next.

Shtalenkov made a career-high 41 saves Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he couldn’t save the Ducks in overtime. They lost, 3-2, when Dave Andreychuk knocked in the game-winner 2:05 into the five-minute extra period after Doug Gilmour won a faceoff, got the puck behind the net and threw it out front.

“He throws it blind and Andreychuk is there,” said Duck winger Todd Krygier. “I don’t give the credit to Gilmour, I give the credit to Andreychuk.

“[Shtalenkov] made some great saves. You can’t ask for any more.”

Attendance at The Pond of Anaheim was announced as a capacity crowd of 17,174, but there were hundreds of no-shows. After the game another could be added to the list: Duck Coach Ron Wilson, who refused to meet reporters, telling a spokesman he had no comment.

His players were far more willing to address the loss, and defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky took part of the blame for the Maple Leafs’ game-tying goal at 11:45 of the third after he lost the puck in a mix-up with Shtalenkov behind the net. Darby Hendrickson got it and scored with a wraparound into the nearly open net, but not before Paul Kariya made a diving attempt to stop it.

“I had it blocked and I tried to push it away,” Kariya said. “I ended up pushing it into the net.”

Shtalenkov had gone in back to stop the puck for the Duck defense.

“There’s supposed to be better communication,” Tverdovsky said. “I was supposed to get it but somebody stripped it from me and it ended up in front of the net. The defenseman has to say, ‘I’ve got it,’ or ‘You play it.’ ”

Toronto’s first goal was another odd one, but it came in the first period, when the Ducks were outshot, 19-7. Shtalenkov made the initial stop on a shot by Mike Craig, but lost track of the puck. It slid dangerously behind him before Krygier got it. But instead of shooting it out of harm’s way, he tried to stick-handle, and Paul DiPietro crashed into him, somehow knocking the puck into the net.

“The first goal was a messed-up play,” Krygier said. “I saw so many blue shirts I thought instead of shooting it out I better carry it out. He didn’t even steal the puck. He hit me and his stick hit the puck and it went in the net.”

The Ducks recovered enough to tie the score, 1-1, on a goal by Tverdovsky in the second, and even took a 2-1 lead on Alex Hicks’ goal 9:07 into the third. But they couldn’t hold the lead.

Toronto goalie Damian Rhodes stopped 31 shots even though he was suffering from back spasms the night before. He made some big saves late, particularly when Hicks got two point-blank whacks with less than two minutes left.

Shtalenkov stopped more than he should have had to. Over the last four games, he has stopped 134 of 144 shots, for a .931 save percentage.

“There’s nothing to say, just no luck, that’s all,” Shtalenkov said. “It’s the game. It happens sometimes. I’m just glad I’m playing a lot right now. It makes me feel much better, more confident. I feel maybe more tired than I was before, but that’s part of the game.”

Sitting has become part of the game for Hebert.

“Any player will tell you it’s difficult to sit back and watch someone doing your job and doing it well,” Hebert said.

“It’s tough to take a back seat, but Ron has said for years that Mike’s a capable goaltender. . . . I want to be perfectly clear, there’s no animosity between Mike and me. We have a great relationship and when he’s playing, I’m cheering for him as hard as anybody else on the team. Some nights it’s not your job to play, but it’s tough to sit back and watch.”