What we learned in the NHL last week

Lessons from the past week in the NHL:

• The Ducks made up some ground by winning four consecutive games after their 1-7-2 start but slid backward during a 0-1-2 homestand. Their woes are baffling for a team that appeared to get many upgrades last summer.

“That’s just on paper, though,” defenseman Cam Fowler said last week. “Sure, people are saying, ‘The Ducks have a great team, brought in all these new people.’ Of course these are great players in here but until we start executing as a team, five men at a time, it’s just not going to be there. I don’t know if we’re searching for our chemistry or if we’re just a little in-between on our reads right now but it doesn’t seem we’re clicking like some other teams are.”

He said he still believes in the team, adding, “There’s plenty of time for us to get this sorted out but it has to happen quickly. We have to start going in the right direction.”

• The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t a happy bunch. They held a team meeting Saturday after a 4-0 loss at New Jersey, their third defeat in four games. “We’re not playing right,” Evgeni Malkin told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We’re not working hard. I know it’s tough right now. We’re mad at each other. We need to stop, look in the mirror, and start working. We’re not working.” He told nhl.com Monday that he meant they’re mad at how they’re playing, not at each other. Either way, their frustration is understandable.

• The NHL is a better place with Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith on the ice. Datsyuk made his season debut Friday after undergoing surgery to repair ruptured tendons in his right ankle. Keith returned Saturday, four weeks after knee surgery. Michael Rozsival also returned to Chicago’s lineup after suffering a fractured ankle last May, fortifying a team that’s still finding its footing in the tough Central Division.

• The West-leading Dallas Stars are off to a 2-1-0 start against Central Division rivals after beating the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild last week. The Stars were 8-14-7 within their division last season and missed the playoffs.

• Right wing Mats Zuccarello has been a sparkplug in the New York Rangers’ nine-game winning streak and 11-0-2 points streak. He scored the winner Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs with 54 seconds left in the third period, giving him five goals and 12 points in his last eight games.