Inconsistent Play Costly, Dollas Says

Defenseman Bobby Dollas has figured out the Mighty Ducks’ method of operation and he thinks it leaves a lot to be desired.

Inconsistency is perhaps the only constant as far as Dollas is concerned, but there’s more to his list of Duck shortcomings.

He believes the team’s attention span isn’t what it should be. There isn’t enough communication on the ice and off. The Ducks lack a killer instinct.

“Tomorrow is another day, right?” Dollas said after the Ducks’ 4-3 loss to the Hartford Whalers Friday at the Pond. “Then we play Chicago, a real physical team. We’ll see how we play.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Frustration appeared to be only thing uniting the Ducks, who have developed a nasty habit of playing terrific hockey one game only to fall flat on their faces the next.

Wednesday, they fashioned perhaps their best 60 minutes this season into a 2-1 victory over Pacific Division-leading Colorado. Friday, they took a 3-2 lead in the second period, then went south against Hartford.

“They [the Whalers] probably came in here thinking, ‘Well, they’re coming off a big win against Colorado, maybe they’ll come out lackadaisical,”’ Dollas said. “And we did.”

Why?

“It all depends on how things are going,” he said. “Sometimes we have a great team effort. Sometimes we only have five or six guys going. I’m tired of saying it comes down to hard work.

“The third period comes around and we’re down a goal or two and we’re desperate. Everybody’s going hard. We’re up a goal or two and everybody thinks it’s going to be an easy night.

“All of a sudden we’re making mistakes and the puck is in the back of the net.”

Three giveaways in the Ducks’ end led to three Hartford goals, another maddening circumstance as far as Dollas was concerned.

“We don’t communicate a lot--on the ice, in the dressing room,” Dollas said. “Of the forwards, only one or two guys talk on the ice. In general, 70% don’t say a word. It’s a lack of experience. I played on teams where some guys didn’t shut up. Nobody’s yelling, ‘This side. That side [to let the puck handler know where a teammate is stationed].’

“I can’t express the frustration. We play great against some good teams. Hartford? They’re just like us. We’ve got to be able to kick teams when they’re down.”

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The Ducks announced a plan they hope will cut the number of no-shows at the Pond, enabling season ticket holders to return tickets they don’t plan to use. The team will either give the tickets to charities or resell them to other fans, giving the proceeds to charity.

Season ticket holders can return their tickets and receive a charitable tax deduction for the value of the tickets. This can be done twice during the rest of the season and the tickets must be submitted two weeks before the game. Forms are being mailed to season ticket holders.

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Center Jim Campbell on Friday scored his fourth goal for the Ducks’ minor league affiliate at Baltimore (American Hockey League) since he was acquired in a trade that sent defenseman Robert Dirk to Montreal Jan. 21.

He had 28 goals and 23 assists in 44 games with Fredericton (New Brunswick), Montreal’s AHL affiliate. Campbell and J.F. Jomphe figure to be the most likely candidates to be promoted to the Ducks.

“His skill level is already there,” said David McNab, Duck assistant general manager. “He needs to be more consistent defensively and work on the consistency of his work ethic.”

* Times staff writer Robyn Norwood contributed to this story.