Anaheim, Calif. ? So the Wild have been shut out for the duration of the conference finals. Look at the bright side:

They’re due.

Not amused? Well, if you don’t laugh about it now you’ll probably cry. Actually, the scoring drought is becoming sort of comical. The Wild are even getting into it. They’re hitting Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the pads every chance they get.

It’s historic, too. The Wild could go into the record books for getting shut out for an entire series. That would be like giving up a 600-foot home run to Mickey Mantle. Or like tagging along in the same race in which Seabiscuit set a record for the mile and an eighth.

In the records books, they always list the opposition.

“That first goal is a bit of a challenge for us,” Wild defenseman Brad Bombardir said.

Yes, I’m beginning to think so.

“We’ll just keep plugging,” Wild forward Andrew Brunette said. “There’s no quit in us. There never has been.”

Currently, it’s not so much about winning the series. With a 3-0 lead in games, Anaheim appears to be a pretty good bet. Of course, the Wild are like Elvis in that no matter how many burial services they are involved in, they keep showing up in elevators and shopping malls.

But let’s just say the Mighty Ducks are looking mighty good right now. Instead, this series is about scoring a goal. Lighting the lamp. Putting the biscuit in the basket. Tickling the twine.

Just once.

If they can score one more time, their legions of fans won’t go into the summer feeling so crabby and irritated.

“We had chances,” Wild winger Marian Gaborik said. “It’s frustrating. We work so hard for it.”

Gaborik and his teammates are seeing Giguere’s face in their morning cereal bowl.

“That first goal is a big thing for us,” he said. “Then the whole team will lighten up.”

Did I mention they were due?

“We have to get a goal,” Bombardir said. “You don’t score goals, you can’t win hockey games.”

I follow that completely.

Yet this whole Giguere-Ducks thing has taken on a life of its own. Anaheim is playing great. But now when the Wild get a chance, they fire the puck into Giguere’s chest protector or into his pads.

“That’s what’s in your head, how are you going to beat him,” Gaborik said. “Maybe you squeeze the stick a little bit harder.”

Even the referees are trying to help Minnesota. They whistled Anaheim for a number of marginal infractions on Wednesday night. All to no avail. The Wild couldn’t pick up the puck and throw it in the net.

The Wild keep hoping that a certain goalie will falter. One did on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, it turned out to be their goalie.

Dwayne Roloson had a tough night, giving up a rebound off of a high shot early. Steve Rucchin slammed it home for a 1-0 lead. From that point, the Ducks shot high all evening until they had driven Roloson from the nets with 7:44 left in the second period.

It was as if they suddenly had discovered a weakness, temporary perhaps, and then exploited it to the maximum.

Meanwhile, the key number is 213:17. I’ve had co-workers come and go in less time than that. I know people who have had relationships that didn’t last as long. The Wild can’t think about winning the series until they stop that clock from running.

“It’s a great challenge,” Bombardir said. “That’s what sports is all about, knocking down challenges. We’ll be back in a couple of nights and try to knock it down.”

The law of averages says the Wild are due to score. Any mathematician will say as much.

Unfortunately, it’s an imprecise science. You know, you can flip a coin and have it land “tails” 20 times in a row and on the 21st flip, the chances still remain 50-50 that it will come up “tails.”

So perhaps they won’t score in Game 4. Perhaps they wouldn’t score if this series went 20 games.

But the spell eventually will be broken. Maybe next season. I’ll bet they score at least one in the opener next fall. Maybe two.

As long as the schedule-makers don’t give them Anaheim.