Duck Shots

A weekly update on the Mighty Ducks.

The Ducks punish the Flames and look to make it a four-point week with a victory over the Coyotes. Good teams get those jobs done, but Phoenix wins, exposing just how much work the Ducks still have to do before being considered one of those good teams. Here’s a look at what’s ahead.

* Where they stand: 12-17-5 (29 points), seventh in the Pacific Division and 12th in the Western Conference.

* Who’s hot: Guy Hebert (7-2-1 in his last 10 games) does almost everything but score for this team, which is trying to jump into a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

* Who’s not: Ten players are in minus territory against the Coyotes, who twice find the open man to take advantage of the Ducks’ mistakes in the defensive zone.

UPCOMING

* Today, at N.Y. Rangers (4:30 p.m., KCAL-TV Channel 9): Mark Messier is scoring, Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille are making nice (while scoring), Mike Richter is stopping everything and one tough guy (Shane Churla) is in the dog house for too much fighting. Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

* Saturday, at New Jersey (4:30 p.m., Fox Sports West): Martin Brodeur and Mike Dunham enjoy the benefits of a team that watches its goal line. At the Christmas break, only Detroit (68) had given up fewer goals than the Devils (77).

* Monday, at Ottawa (4:30 p.m., Fox Sports West): Although still trailing the pack in the Northeast Division, the Senators do not go down easy. Ottawa beats Montreal and Florida, and falls a goal short against Buffalo, which leads the division. Rookies Andreas Dackell and Wade Redden are young ones to watch.

* Wednesday, at Florida (9 a.m., no TV): The Panthers have run into a few problems, which came up in losses to the Senators and Rangers. John Vanbiesbrouck was taking all the blame for the 7-3 loss to the Rangers. And Coach Doug MacLean blames a bad second period for a loss against Ottawa. On the positive side, Florida gets just enough scoring to beat the Islanders and Blackhawks.