June 7, 2003 — Anaheim Mighty Ducks’ Paul Kariya (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils in the second period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Anaheim on June 7, 2003. (AP File Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

October 21, 2018 — Former Mighty Ducks star Paul Kariya and his girlfriend Valerie Dawson watch as his jersey rises to the ceiling during a ceremony to retire the jersey of at the Honda Center in Anaheim. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

June 7, 2003 — A knocked-out Paul Kariya sends the Mighty Ducks to Game 7 – Kariya had set up two first-period goals that led to a 3-1 Anaheim lead in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final when he was leveled in the open ice by hard-hitting New Jersey defenseman Scott Stevens in the second period. The captain of the Mighty Ducks lay motionless on the ice for about a minute and needed assistance to the dressing room. Five minutes later, Kariya was back on the ice to the amazement of the sold-out crowd. Not long afterward, the club’s first superstar blew a slap shot past Devils goalie Martin Brodeur in the eventual 5-2 win. Many who were there say it remains the loudest they’ve ever heard the arena during a Ducks game. (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register)

May 22, 2007 – Ducks clinch return to the Stanley Cup Final – anne’s stunning overtime goal in Game 5 set the stage for a celebration and the Ducks made it happen in Game 6 with a 4-3 win over Detroit to capture the Western Conference. Rob Niedermayer’s shorthanded goal got them started and scores by Perry and Ryan Getzlaf in the second period made for a 3-0 lead. The Ducks got a key insurance score by Samuel Pahlsson (pictured) in the third and survived two power-play tallies by Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk to earn the right to not touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. (Kevin Sullivan / Orange County Register)

March 12, 1998 – Utah upsets top-seeded Arizona in NCAA West Regional final Arizona was looking to defend its national title behind a loaded cast that had Mater Dei graduate Miles Simon, the tournament’s most outstanding player in 1997, and included future NBA players Jason Terry and Mike Bibby. Utah coach Rick Majerus surprised the Wildcats with a triangle-and-two defense that held them 40 points below their season average in a 76-51 blowout. Andre Miller (pictured with Michael Doleac) delivered an 18-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple double to bring the Utes their first Final Four berth since 1966. (Michael Kitada / The Orange County Register)

April 24, 2022 — Ryan Getzlaf, left, of the Ducks embraces former Ducks’s star Teemu Selanne during the pre-game ceremonies to celebrate the career of Getzlaf, who is retiring after 17 seasons with the Anaheim franchise, during the final regular-season home game against the St. Louis Blues at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sunday, April 24, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

April 14, 2014 — Fans show their support for the Anaheim Ducks’ Teemu Selanne during his last regular season game at Honda Center. Selanne retired after the 2013-14 season. They Ducks beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in overtime.

In 2013, Ducks reporter Eric Stephens compiled the top 10 sports moments at Honda Center as the venue turned 20 years old. As it turns 30 on Saturday, many of those moments have held up for another decade, including the Ducks’ Stanley Cup victory in 2007 at No. 1. Current Ducks reporter Lisa Dillman updated the list with four more great moments since 2013. We’ll update again in 2033.

1) June 6, 2007 – Ducks win their first and only Stanley Cup

Four years earlier, the Ducks came up one game short of the National Hockey League mountaintop. This time around, they went the distance as Corey Perry’s third-period goal punctuated a 6-2 Game 5 rout of the Ottawa Senators that had the jubilant 17,372 in attendance on their feet in the final minutes and a joyous Teemu Selanne in tears after the final horn. Soon, Scott Niedermayer was taking the Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and passing it off to his brother, Rob.

2) June 7, 2003 – A knocked-out Paul Kariya sends the Mighty Ducks to Game 7

Kariya had set up two first-period goals that led to a 3-1 Ducks lead in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final when he was leveled in the open ice by hard-hitting New Jersey defenseman Scott Stevens in the second period. The team captain lay motionless on the ice for about a minute and needed assistance to the dressing room. Five minutes later, Kariya was back on the ice to the amazement of the sold-out crowd. Not long afterward, the club’s first superstar blew a slap shot past Devils goalie Martin Brodeur in the eventual 5-2 win. Many who were there say it remains the loudest they’ve ever heard the arena during a Ducks game.

3) Dec. 2, 1995 – His Airness makes his first landing in Anaheim

Remember when the Clippers dipped their toes into Orange County before choosing to stay in downtown L.A. and accept second banana status at Staples Center? Light years before Lob City became the rage, the Clips played several “home” games in Anaheim between 1994 and 1999. Michael Jordan and the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls paid a visit to the Pond and 18,517 – at the time the largest crowd to ever watch an NBA game in Southern California – came out to watch the Bulls ease past the then-hapless Clippers, 104-98.

4) Oct. 8, 1993 – Mighty Ducks break the ice in the NHL

Bill Hader’s “Saturday Night Live” character Stefon would have called the Pond one of Anaheim’s hottest clubs. There was the mascot that would become known as Wild Wing and another screaming ghost-like musician called the Iceman. Skating cheerleaders. Characters from “Beauty and the Beast”. A light show and fireworks. Sinister Duck masks suspended over the two goals. The production was extravagant, celebrating the inaugural hockey game for the team named the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. And then the game itself occurred, a 7-2 beatdown at the hands of the powerful Detroit Red Wings.

5) Dec. 4, 1994 – UCLA defeats Kentucky in the inaugural Wooden Classic

Freshman J.R. Henderson would coolly sink two free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining in front of 18,307 to lift the Bruins in the first meeting between the college basketball bluebloods since John Wooden coached the Bruins to a win over the Wildcats in the 1975 NCAA title game, the last of his legendary career. It was also an early-season matchup of two teams ranked in the top five. UCLA would eventually capture its 11th national title the following April. From 2013-2019, the Wooden Classic was an eight-team tournament played every Thanksgiving week, but the 2017-19 events were played entirely at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym. Since 2021 (the 2020 event was canceled), it has become a two-day, four-team event held at the Anaheim Convention Center.

6) May 22, 2007 – Ducks clinch return to the Stanley Cup Final

Selanne’s stunning overtime goal in Game 5 set the stage for a celebration and the Ducks made it happen in Game 6 with a 4-3 win over Detroit to capture the Western Conference. Rob Niedermayer’s short-handed goal got them started and scores by Perry and Ryan Getzlaf in the second period made for a 3-0 lead. The Ducks got a key insurance score by Samuel Pahlsson in the third and survived two power-play tallies by Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk to earn the right to not touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

7) May 5, 2017 – Comeback on Katella

Who knew that deep inside an old-school coach was a gambler waiting to climb out? Trailing by three goals against the Edmonton Oilers late in Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle pulled goalie John Gibson three times for an extra attacker and, improbably, the Ducks scored three times in the final 3:01. They were the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to force OT when trailing by three goals with less than four minutes left in regulation. Corey Perry won it, 4-3, for the Ducks in double overtime. “We willed it through,” captain Ryan Getzlaf told reporters after the game. “We did whatever we had to do. We scratched and clawed at the end and found a way to get ourselves back in that game.”

8) March 12, 1998 – Utah upsets top-seeded Arizona in NCAA West Regional final

Arizona was looking to defend its national title behind a loaded cast that had Mater Dei graduate Miles Simon, the tournament’s most outstanding player in 1997, and included future NBA players Jason Terry and Mike Bibby. Utah coach Rick Majerus surprised the Wildcats with a triangle-and-two defense that held them 40 points below their season average in a 76-51 blowout. Andre Miller delivered an 18-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple-double to bring the Utes their first Final Four berth since 1966.

9) Jan. 11, 2015/Oct. 21, 2018/Feb. 17, 2019 – Jersey Retirements

Teemu, Paul and Scott.

That would be franchise icons Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya and Scott Niedermayer – all Hockey Hall of Famers – and their jerseys hanging in the rafters of Honda Center. Selanne’s was the first to be retired, followed by Kariya and then Niedermayer. Register colleague Elliott Teaford: “Selanne’s jersey retirement was a no-brainer, a love-in, a celebration of all he accomplished as the greatest Duck in their 25-year history. Kariya’s jersey retirement, more than three years later, took some coaxing in order to make it happen.” These days, the good news for the Ducks is that Kariya and Niedermayer have recently become more involved with the organization – Niedermayer as a special advisor to hockey operations and Kariya as an unofficial advisor.

9) April 14, 2014 – Teemu Selanne’s final regular-season game

This was vintage Selanne – emotional and lovably spontaneous, taking his night and also making it someone else’s night. The Ducks beat the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, in overtime in the regular-season finale for both teams. Unplanned, Selanne shared the post-game moment with his former teammate, Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, grabbing Giguere (who had also played in his final regular-season game). And the two important pieces of the Ducks’ Stanley Cup championship in 2007 took a final lap around the ice together. Selanne’s powers of persuasion also paid off in another way – Kariya was in attendance. “I didn’t take no for an answer,” Selanne told reporters.

10) April 24, 2022 – Ryan Getzlaf’s final NHL game

It was so fitting that the final point of captain Ryan Getzlaf’s NHL career happened to be an assist, a behind-the-back pass to Adam Henrique at 17:19 of the third period, in a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Honda Center. The final numbers: 1,019 points in 1,157 games, all with the Ducks. That, and 120 points in 125 playoff games and one Stanley Cup championship in 2007. Beyond his accomplishments on the ice is Getzlaf’s continuing involvement in the Orange County community efforts. His charity golf tournament at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, over the past 12 years, has raised more than $5.3 million in support of CureDuchenne’s mission, funding research for children impacted by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Honda Center turns 30: Here are the biggest acts that played the Anaheim arena

RELATED FROM 2013:

Top 10 Honda Center sports moments

The veteran goalie is now getting it taken care of before training camp opens in the fall.

Miller underwent surgery Friday to remove a bone fragment from his wrist, the Ducks said.  His recovery time is expected to be six weeks.

The Ducks also hired Marty Wilford as an assistant coach and signed Dallas Eakins, the coach of their American Hockey League team in San Diego, to a multiyear extension.

Miller, who’ll turn 38 in July, didn’t make his Ducks debut until Oct. 29 at Carolina after aggravating the wrist during a preseason game. A strong, 34-save effort to beat the Hurricanes in a shootout paved the way for a highly effective season as the backup to John Gibson.

Miller went 12-6-6 with a 2.35 goals-against average, four shutouts and a .928 save percentage. His four shutouts were the most in a season since getting six for Vancouver in 2014-15. The goalie is signed with the Ducks through next season.

Wilford, 41, has been an assistant coach in the Ducks’ organization at the AHL level since 2011. Some of the defensemen that have been under his tutelage include current defenders Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson and Brandon Montour. Marcus Pettersson and Andy Welinski also made their NHL debuts this past season.

New Jersey’s Sami Vatanen and Vegas’s Shea Theodore – who’ll be playing for the Stanley Cup later this week – also spent significant time working with Wilford. Jacob Larsson, the Ducks’ first-round pick in 2015, could be the next of his pupils to make the leap to becoming an NHL regular.

Wilford replaces Trent Yawney, whose contract was not renewed by the Ducks last month. Yawney could join Todd McLellan’s staff in Edmonton as the two coached together for three seasons in San Jose when McLellan helmed the Sharks.

“Marty is a tremendous coach and has certainly earned this opportunity in Anaheim,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. “Marty has been instrumental developing the majority of our young defensemen and we look forward to his contributions to the coaching staff next season.”

The signing of Eakins could be key in having a potential successor to Randy Carlyle as the Ducks’ coach down the line. Carlyle, who turned 62 in April, is under contract for next season and has another year at the team’s option.

Eakins, 51, had a rough first turn as an NHL head coach in Edmonton, has found success with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls since. He coached the Gulls to Calder Cup playoff appearances in 2016 and 2017 after the Ducks moved their AHL affiliate from Norfolk, Va.

The Gulls finished out of the playoffs this past season but they’ve promoted notable Ducks such as Montour, John Gibson, Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie during Eakins’s time with them.

“Dallas has provided valuable leadership in San Diego since the Gulls arrived over three seasons ago,” Murray said. “He has helped create a winning tradition and a successful development with our AHL affiliate. His contract extension is a testament to that.”

It didn’t. Bellinger was in the Dodgers’ lineup for Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, batting cleanup. Manager Dave Roberts didn’t see the need for any sort of disciplinary measure following his slugger’s choice to bunt on a 3-0 pitch and ignore a take sign in the ninth inning with the team down two runs to the Reds.

But a conversation between the two was had.

“We talked,” Roberts said. “Cody’s a great young man. He cares. He just wants to do well. But there is a process that you have to abide by. He’s learning every day. We’re all learning. Cody’s a talented player who’s going to continue to get better.”

Was there any consideration to pull him from the game?

“There wasn’t a thought,” Roberts said. “No. He, to his credit, came in last night and addressed it and took accountability of it. So for me, as a young player, that’s the biggest win. To not make an excuse. To own it and move on.”

Bellinger acknowledged after their 5-3 loss Saturday the take sign relayed from third base coach Chris Woodward that was given by Roberts. His thought at the time was to get the tying run to the plate.

“It’s one of those where if you get it down, it’s a great play. If you don’t, it’s a bad play,” Bellinger said. “If I could do it again I wouldn’t. At the time, I thought it was a good idea.”

The hustle that Roberts did appreciate was Bellinger taking off for third and making it safely after an errant fielder’s choice throw got away from Reds second baseman Alex Blandino.

A day later, the manager looked at his first baseman’s bunt as something endemic of a struggling team that’s trying to do too much. The Dodgers have lost 14 of their last 19. Their 16-24 record is the club’s worst 40-game start since 1958.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s Cody-specific,” he said. “Yasmani Grandal got doubled up on a ball last night that he shouldn’t have. He’s trying to make something happen. It’s just guys try to do more. People try to do more when you’re struggling. And that’s natural for people to do that.

“I’m not going to sit here and hit-and-run just because I want to make something happen. You can’t panic. And so when Cody does that or Yasmani does that, there’s a little bit of panic in that. People are guilty of that. But you can’t panic. You got to stay the course.”

TURNER, FORSYTHE CLOSER TO RETURNING

Infielders Justin Turner and Logan Forsythe will receive a warm welcome from a team that’s looking high and low for good news.

Turner and Forsythe completed their rehabilitation assignments at Rancho Cucamonga, the Dodgers’ Class A affiliate, on Sunday. The two went 0 for 3 for the Quakes and all signs point to them joining the Dodgers for their Monday flight to the East Coast.

Turner is expected to make his season debut after suffering a broken wrist when hit by a pitch during a Cactus League game against Oakland in March. Forsythe has been out since April 14 due to right shoulder inflammation.

Roberts cautioned over the expectation that they’ll have an immediate impact. But the addition of both is something they’re eagerly awaited.

“The voice, if you’re playing, is stronger. Number one,” Roberts said. “Number two, the defense. The presence in the order is another variable. Now you can’t count on production. You don’t know what it’s going to do.

“But I think that when you see their names in the lineup, it makes your lineup look more – It makes it look better. It does. Two good players.”

ALSO

There remains no timetable for Clayton Kershaw to make a step beyond playing catch as he works toward a return from biceps tendinitis. Kershaw last picked up a baseball on Friday.

“I don’t know what day he’s planning on doing that with the training staff,” Roberts said. “It’s more per his tolerance and what he can manage. And then we’ll progress.”

UP NEXT

Dodgers LHP Alex Wood (0-3, 3.60 ERA) vs. Marlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen (1-2, 10.22 ERA), 4:10 p.m., Tuesday, SportsNet LA (where available)

Cincinnati Reds’ Adam Duvall, right, slides in safe at third under the tag of Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy after Scott Schebler grounded into a fielder’s choice during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez, left, hits a two-run home run as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal watches during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez hits a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez stands at first while wearing cleats that bear the birthdate of his daughter during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez, right, gestures after hitting a two-run home run as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal stands at the plate during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Matt Kemp makes a catch on a ball hit by Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Chris Taylor, right, flips a ball hit by Cincinnati Reds’ Tony Cruz to second baseman Chase Utley (26) to force out Reds’ Scott Schebler at second during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. Cruz was thrown out at first on the play. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig (66) gestures before scoring after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill throws to the plate during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, right, hits a solo home run as Cincinnati Reds catcher Tony Cruz, left, watches along with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES – Rock bottom was the place that the Dodgers arrived at on Sunday — or at least that’s where they hope is the case.

They’ve got to believe that there isn’t a greater depth to slog toward. Winning has become such a chore that the presence of the National League’s worst team only served to exacerbate what has become a dreadful stretch in a season quickly rolling off the rails.

Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto each clubbed two-run homers and the Cincinnati Reds finished off their first four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium in over four decades with a 5-3 win, capping a sorry one-win homestand for the steadily fading hosts.

The Dodgers (16-24) have dropped seven of eight and are 5-14 since they were last above .500 on April 23. But they reached a new low by failing to squeeze out one win against a team that had fallen as far as 8-27 to open last week before winning six straight.

The last four have come against a Dodgers team that’s failing in virtually every area. The last time the Reds took all four games of a series in L.A. was Aug. 5-8, 1976 during the height of the Big Red Machine’s powers.

It had Dodgers manager Dave Roberts eager to leave town. He was already looking at their upcoming trip to Miami and Washington. Posed a turning-the-page question following his team’s latest lowlight, Roberts responded with “I’m pretty close to turning it already.”

“This is one that sometimes it seems might be more difficult to turn the page,” Roberts continued. “But after losing four to the Reds at home, it’s one that it clears from my mind.”

Cincinnati’s current outfit is nowhere near that level. But at this point for the Dodgers, every team looks like a powerhouse to them. And it had an announced Mother’s Day crowd of 44,787 grumbling until it was useless to put in the effort to gripe.

A popgun offense was limited by Reds starter Luis Castillo to solo home runs by Yasiel Puig and Yasmani Grandal over six-plus innings. Castillo entered the game with a 6.47 ERA but scattered two other hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight in working into the seventh.

Only when Cody Bellinger followed Grandal’s blast with a line-drive single to open the seventh and chase Castillo did the Dodgers put hits together and mount anything resembling a rally. Their struggles are so that they pined for the return of infielders Justin Turner and Logan Forsythe, who could be in the lineup Tuesday in Miami.

“It’s disappointing,” Bellinger said. “The guy today actually had really good stuff. But yeah, we got to be better producing runs. Myself included. We got two guys coming back to hopefully help us. Just having their presence in the lineup and the clubhouse should help.”

While the hitters continued their failure to manufacture runs, the Dodgers’ pitchers continued to struggle.

Rich Hill’s second start since his return from the disabled list was better than his first one, but the results remained a mixed bag. Hill threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 28 batters he faced and limited his damage enough to work 5 2/3 innings. There were 63 strikes out of his 98 pitches thrown.

But Hill also never had a clean inning. He walked four. Two Dodgers errors didn’t help. The first came on Bellinger’s failure to secure Alex Blandino’s ground ball up the first-base line to open the third inning. Matt Kemp made a nice diving catch on Votto’s slicing line drive to left but that only delayed the damage.

Hill hung a curveball to Eugenio Suarez and the Cincinnati third baseman deposited it over the left-field fence to give the Reds a 2-0 lead.

“Just a bad pitch there,” Hill said. “Gave up the home run. Just left a curveball that hung over the middle. Really, to me, that was the worst pitch I made all day. Other than that, I felt like the ball came out of my hand pretty well.”

Puig, who’s been among the many acquainted with the disabled list, hit first homer of the season to halve the deficit in the bottom of the third. The Reds got that run back the following inning by mixing hits with situational play.

Billy Hamilton singled with one out and moved to third on Jose Peraza’s hit. Blandino followed with a squeeze bunt that Hill gobbled up but had no chance on the rabbit that is Hamilton already on the move. Hill at least kept his team in the picture – until there were two outs in the sixth.

Roberts and the training staff headed to the mound after Hill got Peraza to fly out. A short conversation followed and the left-hander was soon walking to the dugout. Hill’s DL stint was the result of a cracked fingernail. It was his recurring blister on his middle finger this time.

Catching it ahead of time left Hill confident that he’ll make his next start Saturday in Washington. Roberts said the nail wasn’t affected on this occasion.

“I could feel it just starting to get a little bit aggravated.” said Hill, who felt it during the Hamilton at-bat. “It wasn’t worth having it completely blow up and have to go back on the DL for it. So that was something I did not want to do.”

Meanwhile, the beleaguered bullpen continued its way of worsening the situations it gets presented with. Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte, recalled from triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, blew things up with both hands.

Blandino greeted Venditte with a single as he pitched right-handed to him. Venditte turned to his left side and served up a long ball to Votto on his first pitch to the longtime Reds slugger.

“We wanted to try to get Rich through that inning,” Roberts said. “Wanted him to get through Peraza. Once Rich’s finger gives away, then he gives up a base hit and the blast.

“Votto saw a slider the night prior and obviously he was sitting on it and he put a good swing on it. Obviously Pat doesn’t feel good about it. But to our guys’ credit, we kept trying to fight back.”

Still, Cincinnati had a 5-1 lead to manage and a four-run deficit appears mountainous to the Dodgers. They scored only nine runs while being swept and have scored more than three runs only twice during the current eight-game skid after a modest three-game winning streak.

Roberts sees effort and intent. But, he conceded, “the result’s not there.”

“I can’t explain it,” he added. “I don’t have an answer for the lack of production.”

Grinding was the word du jour within the Dodgers clubhouse. Closer Kenley Jansen, who pitched the ninth just to get some work in the series, used it often with regard to his teammates and brought up the 43-7 run from last season as to what’s possible when they can get on the right kind of streaks.

That won’t happen again. They’ll just take a win and go from there.

“We did it last year,” Bellinger said. “We got the best hitter in the National League arguably coming back. We got Logan Forsythe coming back, who we’ve been missing in the clubhouse as a teammate who really helps us defensively and offensively.

“We’re waiting for both of our things to click at the same time. We got the same squad as last year where we’re going to keep grinding it out. Things hoping to turn around here pretty soon.”

Yawney, 52, was with the Ducks organization for the past seven seasons and was the last staff holdover that Carlyle inherited when he came back as coach in 2016. In 2014, Yawney was promoted to an assistant under then-coach Bruce Boudreau after he led the Ducks’ AHL team in Norfolk, Va., into the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Ducks decided against renewing Yawney’s contract even though he was in charge of a penalty kill that finished among the NHL’s top five for three straight years. Yawney also ran the defense corps that played a role in them having the third-fewest goals against.

But as the Ducks cleaned out their lockers Saturday, Ducks GM Bob Murray strongly suggested that goaltending was the main factor in the 209 goals allowed. Yawney, who has a lengthy history with Murray, was one of the candidates that interviewed for the Ducks’ head coach opening after Boudreau was fired two years ago.

A replacement is not expected to be named immediately. Last year, the Ducks added Steve Konowalchuk and Mark Morrison to the coaching staff after parting ways with Paul MacLean. Konowalchuk oversaw the power play with Carlyle while Morrison served as an “eye in the sky” from above the ice.

The Ducks have to get faster and Murray, who just wrapped up his 10th season as their general manager, saw their current level of team speed wasn’t nearly good enough in grim fashion in a four-game sweep by San Jose.

“We just played a team that was way faster than us,” Murray said Saturday, where the Ducks cleaned out their lockers at Honda Center earlier than they imagined. “And they played the game faster than us.”

And there is a large part of why their Stanley Cup run never got off the ground. With that established, Murray delved into how they will go about getting faster. Pure speed matters and the Ducks’ GM didn’t question that. But, in his mind, it’s about much more.

“Are Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski really fast skaters? Are they?” Murray asked, bringing up the Sharks’ stars. “I had one of them in Team Canada. No. They’re good hockey players. But if your team plays fast, you can make players faster. And that’s the first thing that has to be addressed around here.”

Very much in place as the organization’s top decision-maker when it comes to the on-ice product, Murray is sticking with Randy Carlyle as his coach. His confidence remains in him even with the franchise’s first failure to win a game in postseason play since 1999.

Hey, @AnaheimDucks we’ll see you this weekend at Coachella.

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 19, 2018

Some of the confidence stems from the Ducks remaining in position to make a second-half push after surviving an unprecedented spate of injuries to many of their top players. The two, though, are to meet in the coming weeks to discuss how they must evolve to keep pace and not fall further behind.

“I have no issues with how he did,” Murray said. “I think it’s remarkable that we made the playoffs. But in making the playoffs, did we screw up some other things? That’s where I’m trying to get my head around. Sometimes it’s better to miss (the playoffs).

“I talked to (Florida GM Dale Tallon) this morning and he says look at you and look at me. My pick’s a lot better than yours right now. I said, ‘You’re bloody right it is.’ Those are the things that you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. It’s just the way the game is. I’m confident in Randy.”

The early playoff exit chafed at Murray but it also served as a stamp about the stark reality they face. Worse yet, the stunning sweep didn’t blindside him. “It wasn’t as shocking to me as to a lot of other people, from reading things,” he said.

“As I said during the year, I didn’t really think our team play was that great this year,” Murray continued. “What are the reasons for that? Well, obviously we were in survival mode for half the year. We got the rest of the guys back and we were trying to make the playoffs. So there were a lot of things with our team play that were just not good enough.

“Good goaltending tends to cover up a lot of crap. And it did a good job of that.”

Carlyle contends some changes have taken place to adjust to higher tempo that teams are playing at. “It’s almost Pong at times, where the puck comes back and it’s just thrown out and people are trying to get underneath the puck out off the boards,” he said.

“I’ve think we’ve asked, and we’ve stressed, some of the things that happened against us are the things that we had to try to do, and we know that,” Carlyle added. “There’s a template that teams are playing and the things they are doing are the things we’re trying to get our group to do, and we didn’t do it on a consistent enough basis.”

Their system and emphasis on being heavy will come under the microscope and Murray bluntly said “we have some things we have to fix.” He pointed to his distaste for defensemen passing the puck to each other and back before heading up ice to get the puck to forwards, who were often too stationary.

Too much work to get the puck out of their own end occurred and allowed opposing teams to forecheck them into turning it over. It appears Carlyle – who has another year left on his contract along with a team option for 2019-20 – will be entrusted with making those changes.

“I think he knows,” Murray said. “We had enough talks late in the year. We knew where we were halfway through the year and we knew we couldn’t do certain things this year. And that’s just because of the situation we were in.

“I know he definitely knows some things have to change. Hopefully I can give him a healthy hockey team to start the year to see if they will change.”

Murray doesn’t see any players needing surgeries like last summer. There is a greater belief that winger Patrick Eaves will get back on the ice next season. He revealed that Eaves underwent shoulder surgery in March to fix a torn labrum suffered while doing rehab work. Eaves’s potential timetable is October.

Eaves played in two games before being diagnosed with  Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder where his immune system was attacking the peripheral nervous system. “He’s ahead of schedule now but that means nothing, it’s so early in it,” Murray said.

The roster is expected to skew more toward youth. They’re expected to jettison older free agents such as Kevin Bieksa, Antoine Vermette, Jason Chimera and Chris Kelly. Murray did rave the work of fourth-line center Derek Grant and would like to re-sign him.

Bieksa played with a torn tendon in his finger that was suffered during his fight with Philadelphia’s Radko Gudas in October and said he opted to put off surgery until March because the recovery period would have taken months instead of weeks.

But the veteran defenseman also felt the March procedure made it easier for Carlyle to play youngster Andy Welinski in three of the four games against San Jose. His dissatisfaction was thinly veiled.

“It kept me out of a lot of games down the stretch, which I’m sure factored in to the decision not to play me as much in the playoffs,” Bieksa said. “Which is very disappointing. And didn’t turn out to be a good-looking decision. But you have to accept those sometimes.”

A few Ducks will continue playing hockey. Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell will play for Sweden in the upcoming IIHF World Championships next month, while Korbinian Holzer will participate for Germany.

Murray said Montour and Kase were asked by Canada and the Czech Republic but will not participate given their uncertain contract status. Jakob Silfverberg will not play for Sweden as the winger and his wife, Clara, are expecting their first child.

Others will be left to try to put a wholly disappointing end to a season full of adversity behind them. The shock of a swift exit after pushing to make the playoffs and gain home-ice advantage is only starting to wear off.

“It’s kind of a numbness that’s subsiding now,” Carlyle said.

Some form of change will certainly occur, but it won’t be in the general manager’s chair or behind the bench as all indications are Murray and Carlyle will remain in their current roles. The two will have the task of reshaping the roster around a young, mobile defense corps and three aging, big-money forwards up front.

Here’s a breakdown of each player from this season, his salary status and report card:

COREY PERRY, right wing

Stats: 17 goals, 32 assists in 71 games

Contract status: Owed $9 million next season, signed through 2020-21

Breakdown: Showed that he still has a good set of scoring hands once he got in the right spot to finish but it’s only getting tougher to get to those spots. His shooting percentage ticked up only slightly to 10.1 from a career-low 8.8 the year before.

Grade: C

RYAN GETZLAF, center

Stats: 11 goals, 50 assists, plus-20 rating, 47.8 percent faceoffs in 56 games

Contract status: Owed $8.95 million next season, signed through 2020-21

Breakdown: A rough series against San Jose took a good bit of shine off a strong second half to the season after the captain did well to shake off a groin injury and a facial fracture early on. He finished ninth in the NHL with a 1.09 points-per-game average.

Grade: B

CAM FOWLER, defenseman

Stats: 8 goals, 24 assists, plus-3 rating, 24:51 time on ice in 67 games

Contract status: Owed $7.5 million next season, signed through 2025-26

Breakdown: He wasn’t at the All-Star level of a year ago, but he had a solid season hampered by two significant injuries. His work running the power play could have been better, but he was greatly missed against the Sharks.

Grade: B-

HAMPUS LINDHOLM, defenseman

Stats: 13 goals, 18 assists, 34 penalty minutes, 22:44 time on ice in 69 games

Contract status: Owed $6.75 million next season, signed through 2021-22

Breakdown: He showed he could be a forceful player when he wanted to be and stayed as reliable as ever on the defensive end. You still get the feeling that he’s got another level or two in his game and needs to be unleashed.

Grade: B+

RYAN KESLER, center

Stats: 8 goals, 6 assists, minus-4 rating, 53.4% faceoffs in 44 games

Contract status: Owed $6.675 million next season, signed through 2021-22

Breakdown: This was not going to be a normal year for the physical center after major hip surgery. Kesler was willing but it was clear his powerful skating stride hasn’t fully returned. His production was nowhere near what he’s capable of.

Grade: C+

ADAM HENRIQUE, center

Stats: 20 goals, 16 assists, 48.7 percent on faceoffs, plus-17 rating in 57 games (with Ducks)

Contract status: Owed $5.5 million next season, signed through 2018-19

Breakdown: He made an instant impact and became a perfect fit while regaining his scoring touch. He’ll be a priority re-signing for Murray, who wants to extend him this summer.

Grade: A-

RICKARD RAKELL, left wing

Stats: 34 goals, 35 assists in 77 games

Contract status: Owed $3.8 million next season, signed through 2021-22

Breakdown: He displayed more versatility in the way he scored goals and took more steps toward rounding out his overall game. If he keeps putting up 30-goal seasons, his contract might become the biggest bargain in the NHL.

Grade: A-

JAKOB SILFVERBERG, right wing

Stats: 17 goals, 23 assists, 61 blocked shots in 77 games

Contract status: Owed $3.75 million next season, signed through 2018-19

Breakdown: The low-maintenance forward isn’t a star, but he remains reliable with his two-way game. Do you get him re-signed before he goes into his walk year? Or if next season goes sideways, do you contemplate a trade of the pending, desirable UFA?

Grade: B

JOHN GIBSON, goalie

Stats: 31-18-7 record, 2.43 GAA, .926 save percentage, 4 shutouts in 60 games

Contract status: Owed $3.3 million next season, signed through 2018-19

Breakdown: Their undisputed No. 1 in net mostly played like that in often showing some Vezina Trophy-like work behind a mistake-plagued team. At 24, Gibson is set up for a sizable payday with his next contract, but tough negotiations with Gibson’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, lie ahead.

Grade: A

JOSH MANSON, defenseman

Stats: 7 goals, 30 assists, plus-34 rating, 180 hits in 80 games

Contract status: Owed $3.25 million next season, signed through 2021-22

Breakdown: The ever-improving defender put up career-high offensive numbers in becoming a blue-line fixture. He’s now a legitimate cornerstone player.

Grade: A

ANDREW COGLIANO, left wing

Stats: 12 goals, 23 assists in 80 games

Contract status: Owed $3.25 million next season, signed through 2020-21

Breakdown: He went through long scoring droughts but that’s commonplace. He’s still a dogged penalty killer who possesses strong defensive acumen. Few work harder than the dutiful forward.

Grade: B

RYAN MILLER, goalie

Stats: 12-6-6, 2.35 GAA, .928 save percentage in 28 games

Contract status: Owed $2 million next season, signed through 2018-19

Breakdown: If this is the final stop in his distinguished career, it’s not a bad place to be. Miller remains technically sound and handled his backup role like a pro. Impressive season.

Grade: A

BRANDON MONTOUR, defenseman

Stats: 9 goals, 23 assists

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Breakdown: He went a little too riverboat gambler on occasion, but his season took a turn for the better with Fowler as his partner. The Ducks will hope to get him extended at a budgetary price point.

Grade: B

KEVIN BIEKSA, defenseman

Stats: 0 goals, 8 assists, minus-13 rating, 83 penalty minutes in 59 games

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Breakdown: Bieksa threw two great MMA-style punches to drop Philadelphia’s Radko Gudas and the Kings’ Andy Andreoff, but he played with a bad left hand for months and struggled mightily. They’re expected to let him walk.

Grade: C-

FRANCOIS BEAUCHEMIN, defenseman

Stats: 3 goals, 14 assists, plus-12 rating, 17:19 time on ice in 67 games

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent, expected to retire

Breakdown: He was relied on too much in the end but the respected veteran knew his role and played within his limitations. Beauchemin did well enough on the ice to cap his third and final run with the Ducks – and his NHL career – on a good note.

Grade: B-

NICK RITCHIE, left wing

Stats: 10 goals, 17 assists, 72 penalty minutes, 221 hits in 76 games

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Breakdown: He took a step back as he often threw his weight around but wasn’t in the right spots enough to create havoc in front of the net and get his strong NHL-quality shot off. He must cut down the offensive zone penalties going forward.

Grade: C-

ONDREJ KASE, right wing

Stats: 20 goals, 18 assists, plus-18 rating in 66 games

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Breakdown: He found more consistency and became more dangerous as a sophomore. He has the skill to be a productive top-six winger. Added strength would make him tougher to knock off the puck.

Grade: A-

ANTOINE VERMETTE, center

Stats: 8 goals, 8 assists, 60 percent on faceoffs in 64 games

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Breakdown: Other than his faceoff skills, Vermette was inconsistent and Carlyle was favoring Derek Grant down the stretch. Unlikely to return.

Grade: C

JASON CHIMERA, left wing

Stats: 3 goals, 10 assists

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Breakdown: He had just one goal and one assist in 16 games for Anaheim, failing to add much after being acquired for Chris Wagner. His vaunted speed was largely hidden.

Grade: C-

CHRIS KELLY, right wing

Stats: 0 goals, 2 assists in 12 games

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Breakdown: It was a low-cost, low-risk move to add Canada’s Olympic captain. It also turned out to be a no-gain move.

Grade: C-

KORBINIAN HOLZER, defenseman

Stats: 0 goals, 0 assists, 6 penalty minutes, 11:37 time on ice in 16 games

Contract status: Owed $900,000 next season, signed through 2018-19

Breakdown: He was what he has been – a mostly safe spare player who knows his role as a fill-in when injuries hit the blue line.

Grade: B-

J.T. BROWN, right wing

Stats: 1 goal, 2 assists, 8:46 time on ice in 27 games

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Breakdown: He’s limited offensively but still has some good wheels and can bring energy. The team could let him walk to keep a spot open for a youngster or bring him back for quality depth.

Grade: C+

DEREK GRANT, center

Stats: 12 goals, 12 assists, 53.1 percent on faceoffs in 66 games

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Breakdown: The Ducks never expected him to deliver the production he gave them. Unless they seek more speed on the fourth line, it figures they’ll want to bring him back. But beware that he’s had his career year.

Grade: A

MARCUS PETTERSSON, defenseman

Stats: 1 goal, 3 assists, plus -5 rating in 22 games

Contract status: On entry-level contract, signed through 2018-19

Breakdown: He showed good awareness in dangerous situations but also found himself scrambling at other times. Good puck-moving skills should serve the 21-year-old well in the future.

Grade: B-

ANDY WELINSKI, defenseman

Stats: 0 goals, 2 assists, 16:10 time on ice in 7 games

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Breakdown: Welinski earned a promotion through his power-play work in San Diego and got some time there with the parent club. He looked overmatched at times in the playoff series.

Grade: C+

TROY TERRY, right wing

Stats: 0 goals, 0 assists in 2 games

Contract status: On entry-level contract, signed through 2019-20

Breakdown: He saw only two games late in the season after finishing his NCAA career. The organization is high on the playmaker, who figures to challenge for a roster spot in the fall.

Grade: Incomplete

PATRICK EAVES, right wing

Stats: 1 goal, 0 assists in 2 games

Contract status: Owed $3.15 million next season, signed through 2019-20

Breakdown: The hope for the winger and the organization is that he makes a full recovery from an autoimmune muscle disorder and is able to resume his career next season.

Grade: Incomplete

By the end, their leaders didn’t lead and the supporting cast wasn’t nearly strong enough to pick up the load. Within the quiet of the visitors’ dressing room at SAP Center, the Ducks couldn’t deny the hard truth – that they weren’t good enough.

Are they still? That is the salient point going forward.

“We have to look at things throughout the summer here and get prepared mentally and physically for the following season because obviously this year wasn’t good enough,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said.

Here is a look at the Ducks’ season:

WHAT WENT WRONG?

This was not a potent offense to begin with – their 2.82 goals-per-game average ranked 19th in the NHL. But it was completely impotent against the Sharks. The four goals the Ducks scored in four playoff games only matched San Jose’s fourth line – low-scoring winger Marcus Sorensen had three on his own.

Getzlaf had a horrific series but several others weren’t much better. Corey Perry was never a factor until Game 4. The third line of Adam Henrique, Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase contributed no offense whatsoever. Derek Grant was a nice surprise, but the fourth line was ever changing and never that effective.

And the reliable shutdown line wasn’t as effective or dominant as it had once been as the key to it, Ryan Kesler, was far from his top two-way form after coming back from major hip surgery.

Andrew Cogliano’s 830-game consecutive streak – the fourth-longest streak in NHL history – ended with a two-game suspension levied by the league’s director of player safety, George Parros (a former Ducks enforcer) for making head contact with a hit on the Kings’ Adrian Kempe.

One reason the Ducks rarely enjoyed any easy games was a 23rd-ranked power play that continues to be a major disappointment. Changes on the coaching staff didn’t produce results in that area and the players on those units were often too sloppy with their zone entries and puck movement.

But their lack of speed throughout the roster – which often put them at a disadvantage against skilled, skating-based teams – was fully exposed by San Jose. The Sharks were content to absorb hits to make plays and beat them to spots on the ice, jumping on mistakes and converting their chances.

WHAT WENT RIGHT?

The addition of Henrique in the trade with New Jersey for Vatanen filled a desperately needed hole and the veteran was rejuvenated, scoring 20 goals and 16 points in 57 games with them. His presence helped Ondrej Kase break out with a 20-goal season.

Ryan Miller went some stretches without playing but showed that he still has some game by delivering several fine performances whether as a starter or coming in cold to close out games when Gibson was forced to leave because of injuries.

Brandon Montour played his best hockey of the season when paired with Fowler and seems ready to give the Ducks a top-four on defense to rely upon. Josh Manson is a full-fledged shutdown defenseman who’s well-rounded because of his underrated offensive game.

Rickard Rakell is the Ducks’ most skilled player and best goal scorer. He has thrived on left wing and started to add more versatility to his game. Getzlaf came back from his fractured cheekbone and produced at more than a point-per-game clip.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In November, the Ducks’ two greatest stars – Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya – were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame together. Selanne was a first-ballot lock, but Kariya finally got in on the fifth try. The winger has always valued his privacy, but it was a joy to see him back on the hockey scene, if only briefly.

• Overtime scores by Rakell and Kase in consecutive games to beat the Kings and Colorado put them in position to clinch a playoff spot, which they did in the following game by beating Minnesota and former coach Bruce Boudreau.

• Even when it was a struggle getting victories, the Ducks managed to gain points. They had only one stretch of losing three straight games in regulation and pushed 22 contests into overtime. And they eventually won a few of those.

LOWLIGHTS

• Already starting the season with Kesler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen on the mend for surgeries, Patrick Eaves was dealt a blow when he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a muscle disorder. Eaves, whose 32 goals last season earned him a three-year contract extension, missed all but two games.

• The injury bug was never ending. No player appeared in all 82 games. Getzlaf appeared in only 56 and Kesler played just 44. Kase missed 16 games and Corey Perry didn’t play in 11. Cam Fowler missed a month because of a knee sprain. His shoulder injury in April, which kept him out against San Jose, was especially damaging.

• No moment will sit worse than the 8-1 Game 3 shellacking dealt by the Sharks. Arguably the worst loss in franchise history – playoff or regular season – it was marked by an embarrassing third period when an argumentative Getzlaf was given an early exit along with needless frustration penalties taken by Perry and Kesler.

THREE STARS

John Gibson: The Ducks don’t make the playoffs without his efforts. While there were times he had to leave games due to injury, Gibson was healthy enough to play a personal-best 60 games and won a career-high 31. His .926 save percentage was outstanding and often bailed out a mistake-filled team.

Hampus Lindholm: The defensive shutdown ace wasn’t without his own tough games, but he averaged a career-high 22 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time and drew the toughest assignments for a team that allowed the third-fewest goals in 2017-18. He had two overtime-winning goals among his career-best 13.

Josh Manson: With apologies to Rakell becoming a 30-goal scorer in back-to-back years, Manson established himself as a top-pairing defender alongside Lindholm. He led the blue line with 37 points, which more than doubled his previous high, and he topped the team with a plus-34 rating.

COACHING

Randy Carlyle got the Ducks into the playoffs for the second time in as many years in his second stint as coach, but he also has to take some of the blame for the team being swept out of a postseason series for the first time in 19 years and falling well short of its expectations.

While he deserves credit for keeping the Ducks afloat early when they were besieged with injuries, his best players often didn’t play like they’re capable of once the group became largely healthy after Christmas. A lackluster Game 1 and a dreadful Game 3 blowout in the playoff loss to the Sharks is a black mark.

The fact that the Ducks never overcame their lack of sharpness, penchant for sloppy mistakes and deteriorating work in the details of the game is another stain.

FRONT OFFICE

Bob Murray badly wants to win and his season-saving trade for Henrique showed that he wasn’t going to just fold the tent at midseason and look toward 2018-19. But his deadline moves to acquire aging veterans Jason Chimera and Chris Kelly were curious at best. Neither player made an impact.

The fact that he didn’t make a real splash and give up a first-round pick or other future assets was a strong hint that their underlying play beneath the wins they grabbed in the second half didn’t make him very confident about this team having the goods to make a lengthy playoff run.

WHAT’S NEXT?

A hard assessment needs to be made and all aspects of the organization should at least be put under a microscope. They’ve got to clear out any under-performing veterans that they can move and inject more speed and youthful legs into the lineup.

Can Murray shift the Ducks into a more skilled unit while working around the giant contracts that Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler have to eat up a large portion of the salary cap? It is a certainty that Perry and the $24 million he is still owed won’t be bought out, so how can they coax one more productive season from a winger whose production has declined sharply for two seasons.

There is still solid organizational depth on defense to form a third pairing but the skilled young forwards in the system are not NHL-ready. This could be a make-or-break summer for Ritchie, a power forward who regressed when he was expected to take more steps forward.

Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, center, reacts during the third period of Game 4 of the team’s NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 to sweep the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson, right, defends on a shot by San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane (9) during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Marcus Sorensen #20 of the San Jose Sharks is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Ondrej Kase skates up ice with control of the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Dylan DeMelo #74 of the San Jose Sharks is checked to the ice by Nick Ritchie #37 of the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Dylan DeMelo #74 of the San Jose Sharks is checked to the ice by Nick Ritchie #37 of the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Dylan DeMelo #74 of the San Jose Sharks and Nick Ritchie #37 of the Anaheim Ducks collide during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie John Gibson #36 of the Anaheim Ducks makes a stick save against the San Jose Sharks during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie Martin Jones #31 of the San Jose Sharks blocks the shot of Derek Grant #38 of the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie Martin Jones #31 of the San Jose Sharks covers the puck in front of Ryan Getzlaf #15 of the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie John Gibson #36 and Brandon Montour #26 of the Anaheim Ducks defend the goal against Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie John Gibson #36 and Andrew Cogliano #7 of the Anaheim Ducks defend the goal against Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie Martin Jones #31 of the San Jose Sharks blocks the shot of Derek Grant #38 of the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Brenden Dillon #4 of the San Jose Sharks and Jason Chimera #20 of the Anaheim Ducks battle for control of the puck during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

San Jose Sharks left wing Marcus Sorensen, center, is congratulated by defenseman Paul Martin (7) and right wing Melker Karlsson (68), from Sweden, after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks right wing Joonas Donskoi, left, from Finland, is knocked down by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm (47), from Sweden, during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) falls next to Anaheim Ducks center Rickard Rakell (67), from Sweden, during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) skates in front of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Marcus Pettersson, left, from Sweden, and defenseman Josh Manson during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) reaches for the puck next to Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, rear, and right wing Corey Perry during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, left, shoots against San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28), from Switzerland, during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Anaheim Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle walks off the ice after the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Corey Perry #10 of the Anaheim Ducks scores a goal between goalie Martin Jones #31 and Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks, only to have it called off due to an offsides call during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 2-1 and the series 4-0. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Sharks goalie Martin Jones defends on a shot by Ducks right wing Corey Perry during the second period of Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night in San Jose. The Sharks won 2-1 as Jones and the Sharks held the Ducks to four goals in the four-game series sweep. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Marcus Pettersson (65), from Sweden, and goalie John Gibson (36) and San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) watch a goal scored by Sharks’ Tomas Hertl during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 to sweep the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Anaheim Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano, bottom right, scores a goal against San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones (31); right wing Joonas Donskoi (27), from Finland; and defenseman Paul Martin during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 and swept the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Anaheim Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano (7) celebrates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 to win the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Tomas Hertl #48 of the San Jose Sharks and Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks battle for control of the puck during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie Martin Jones #31 of the San Jose Sharks blocks a shot against Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 2-1 and the series 4-0. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Timo Meier #28 of the San Jose Sharks Sharks and Ryan Getzlaf #15 of the Anaheim Ducks battle for control of the puck during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl, from the Czech Republic, reacts after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 to sweep the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl, center, from the Czech Republic, celebrates with Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44), Justin Braun (61) and Logan Couture after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 to sweep the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Tomas Hertl #48 of the San Jose Sharks is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Goalie Martin Jones #31, Brenden Dillon #4, Logan Couture #39 and Dylan DeMelo #74 of the San Jose Sharks defend their goal against Nick Ritchie #37 and Ryan Kesler #17 of the Anaheim Ducks during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 2-1 and the series 4-0. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks after the Sharks defeated the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the series 4-0. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones, center, celebrates with centers Logan Couture (39) and center Joe Pavelski after Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Sharks won 2-1 and swept the series. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks celebrate after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in Game 4 to sweep an NHL hockey first-round playoff series, in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN JOSE — It was broom duty at SAP Center and the San Jose Sharks were all too happy to take on the task and send the utterly frustrated Ducks into their own form of spring cleaning.

Tomas Hertl scored midway through the third period and the Sharks completed a four-game sweep of the Ducks and brought a swift end to their Pacific Division rival’s season with a 2-1 Game 4 victory Wednesday night.

As a rollicking sellout crowd of 17,562 rhythmically chanted for the broom work to go down, San Jose put the clamps on the Ducks as it had all series. The Ducks scored only four goals in the four games and were swept in a playoff series for the first time since Detroit did it to them in 1999.

“We played well down the stretch and then obviously the let up, we didn’t respond the way we needed to going into the playoffs in the first game,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “That’s on us. That’s what we got to do as players. Be prepared and ready to compete throughout a whole series and not just at the end.”

Martin Jones did the heavy lifting in Game 4 to close it out for the Sharks. Thoroughly embarrassed by their Game 3 abomination, the Ducks forced Jones to be at his absolute best in their desperate bid to make a Game 5 at Honda Center possible.

Instead, the Sharks are heading into a second-round showdown with Vegas after the Golden Knights did their own sweeping to oust the Kings. The Ducks are headed toward a summer when reassessment and hard evaluation throughout the organization at all levels should and, perhaps, will be needed.

“They’re a good team,” Ducks winger Andrew Cogliano said. “Throughout the series, we didn’t play our best obviously. But they’re good. They’re good. They make it hard to score. They’re tough defensively and obviously Jones is playing at the top of his game.

“I thought we could have had a few more goals tonight on him and he was the difference. Any other game, I think we could have got a few on him and maybe opened the game up. But, you know, that’s what you need in playoffs.”

Jones stopped 30 shots in all. Cogliano finally broke through at 7:53 of the third period on a nice play by the entire line, with Jakob Silfverberg winning a puck battle and Ryan Kesler feeding his left wing in front. But the goalie’s teammates had his back.

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Mistakes – which hurt the Ducks all series but were largely avoided Wednesday – bit them once again at an inopportune time. Two failed clears of the puck, including the second one by Getzlaf in what was a horrendous series for the center, eventually allowed San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic to rip a shot from the point.

Hertl saw Vlasic at work and got himself in position to put his stick on the speeding puck. The change in direction was enough to squeeze it through the pads of Ducks goalie John Gibson for a 2-1 lead to squash the good feelings the Ducks held for only 76 seconds.

A push back was happening, but @TomasHertl48 had other plans. #StanleyCup https://t.co/b26L1fgTkQ

— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2018

And the Sharks fended off all remaining attempts, earning the franchise’s second series sweep and first since winning four straight to beat Vancouver in the opening round in 2013. Their Stanley Cup dreams remain in play, whereas the Ducks’ ignominious first-round exit amid a season of high expectations might bring about change.

The result was an eye opener to the players. “To be swept, it’s a wake-up call for this team for sure,” Cogliano said.

“To me, it’s too fresh in people’s minds and emotions run high in these situations and nobody feels good about what just happened,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “There’ll be lots of comments. People that aren’t in the organization will be making a lot of comments about what should happen. And that’s their opinion.

“We’ll let the organization make the decisions that are the best interests. Leave that to the people that are in charge.”

It was the final NHL game for defenseman Francois Beauchemin, a fan favorite and Cup champion who earned that status with hard-nosed play over his three stints with the Ducks.

“Really disappointing obviously,” Beauchemin said. “I don’t think anybody saw that coming. We played so well the last 15, 20 games of the regular season. It felt like we didn’t really have the push to give during that series.”

The sad irony is the Ducks delivered their best game. An 8-1 thrashing can inspire a team. The prospect of elimination also did the trick. But there was little solace taken afterward. And there shouldn’t be.

Carlyle saw a much more competitive team and witnessed an effort that was more like what he continually pushes for. He also wondered where this was when the series kicked off with a wholly uninspiring 3-0 Game 1 loss.

“No satisfaction in being swept four straight,” said Carlyle, who has another year on his current contract and a team option for 2019-20. “Simple as that.”

As far as last stands go, the Ducks did make a worthy one. For the first time in the series, the Ducks took the game to the Sharks and didn’t let up. Marcus Sorensen’s goal in the first period didn’t send them into a tailspin like his score seemed to do Wednesday. It was another challenge but they were bound to meet it.

Only one win separates the @SanJoseSharks and the Second Round.

This is a great start. #StanleyCup https://t.co/EYjheWzkA2

— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2018

From the final minutes of the first, the Ducks put effective worker-bee shifts together and carried that throughout the middle frame – the one where San Jose had an 8-1 scoring advantage in the first three games.

A strong forecheck that was in their DNA returned and the Ducks built some offensive zone time and put Jones to work in net. The Sharks took penalties and it created opportunities for the Ducks’ longtime duo of Getzlaf and Perry to do whatever they could to forge a tie score.

Perry was tough to handle in front of the net, but Jones continually acted as the last line of defense. He was playing like a goalie with a .930 save percentage in his playoff history and a .970 mark in the opening three games.

In the second period alone, Perry was stopped on four point-blank chances. Getzlaf and Rakell teamed to set him early but Jones flashed out his left leg pad. He did the same when Perry got the puck down low for back-to-back whacks of the puck. And then his best save came toward the end.

Working with their third power play, the Ducks moved the puck around with precision. Rakell took a slap shot that Jones made an initial stop on. Perry hopped on the rebound and was in position to wrap in a backhand try but the netminder stopped him once again.

Robbery at its finest. That's your @GatoradeCanada Cool Under Pressure Play of the Night. #StanleyCup https://t.co/0TvPZjVkTj

— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2018

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to him,” Perry said. “He made some big saves. Made some big saves on me in tight on the power play. Those are frustrating, as a guy like me where that’s my area. That’s kind of where I make a living.”

Still holding their power play to open the third, Rakell hammered a one-time shot from Brandon Montour through Jones. The Sharks’ coaching staff picked up on the possibility of Perry being offside and San Jose coach Peter DeBoer challenged the scoring play.

The subsequent video review to the NHL’s situation room determined that Perry and Rakell did enter the zone early as Getzlaf held the puck on the blue line but failed to move it beyond the stripe. It didn’t stop the Ducks on this night, but Jones did enough of that on his own to have them packing their bags for good.

“Every time we get in the playoffs, we have a feeling that we can win,” Getzlaf said. “It’s a very disappointing result with the group and it won’t sit well over the summer.”

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Randy Carlyle reacts to tonight’s loss and the playoff run coming to an end. https://t.co/2BKtcWIcr9

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 19, 2018

No matter the battle, it will always end in #Handshakes.#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/jffvcYMl6p

— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2018

–

The first full pro season in North America was one the Ducks’ top pick in the 2015 draft would like to file away as a learning experience and one to eventually put in the past. By his own admission, Larsson did not have the kind of year he wanted – and it had teammates being promoted before him.

Three different times in the schedule where he had to miss action got in the way of continued development.

“It’s been a lot of injuries this season,” Larsson said. “So it’s been in and out all the time. I’m not really happy with the season and how it went. I just need to continue doing rehab. Hopefully I have a good summer and come back better next year.”

Larsson didn’t go through the other ailments he had playing for the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate. But the 20-year-old readily conceded that coming back from knee surgery a year ago was more challenging than he anticipated.

Though he watched Marcus Pettersson and Andy Welinski (and Jaycob Megna earlier in the season) get the call up to the Ducks, Larsson did manage to improve throughout the year and get in 50 AHL games with San Diego where he had a plus-12 rating.

“Yeah, I was way better (at the end),” Larsson said. “It’s not just the knee. I didn’t play good in the beginning either. Maybe I felt way better (later). I’m happy with that.”

Given that the Ducks will have two openings in their defense corps after Francois Beauchemin retires and they move on from Kevin Bieksa and his expiring contract, it stands to reason that Larsson will have an eye on making a push to win a job when he attends training camp in September.

“Now it feels pretty good with my knee,” Larsson said. “I don’t know if it’s 100 percent, but it feels way better now than it did before. Last summer, I couldn’t really train that much with my legs because of the knee. If I have a good summer with good workouts and training, I think it could be good for me.”

There were adjustments to be made this season. Living arrangements, for one. Larsson had earned an opening night NHL debut in 2016 but the Ducks determined that he was better off playing one more year in his native Sweden before coming over full-time.

With being limited by some aftereffects from the knee surgery in camp last fall, it was apparent that he’d be San Diego-bound. Larsson found a place that he shared downtown with Alex Dostie, a fellow Ducks draft pick who was a Gulls teammate for much of the year.

Larsson was living in a beautiful waterfront city but it was still far from home. There was learning how to get around. Where the grocery stores were and other places that were necessary to deal with daily life outside of hockey.

But he is glad to be in San Jose, getting more of a taste of what could come for him in time.

“It’s really fun to be here and see what all the big guys do before the games and everything like that,” Larsson said. “It’s a good experience to be here. Learn a lot. I’m happy to be here.”

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle opted not to use Larsson or forward Troy Terry for Game 4 but feels there is something to be gained from those players being around the team at this time.

“For them, it’s just about being around the atmosphere,” Carlyle said. “Having an opportunity to see what it’s like to be involved in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They’re young players and any time they can have or touch those moments, it should give them an open door into what’s coming for those guys that are starting out their careers.”

ICE CHIPS

The Ducks had a 16-12 record in playoff series before taking on San Jose. They’re overall playoff record before Game 4 was 89-72. … Along with Terry and Larsson, defensemen Kevin Bieksa and Korbinian Holzer and forwards Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette were healthy scratches.