Hartsburg Speaks Again, but Can’t Hide Exasperation

Coach Craig Hartsburg was sick, literally and figuratively, after the Ducks had squandered a two-goal lead en route to a 4-4 tie Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Hartsburg sent assistant George Burnett out of the dressing room to conduct the postgame session with reporters, the first time this season he has been unavailable for comment.

“Today’s a new day,” Hartsburg said after Thursday’s practice. “The sun’s come up and it’s time to move on.”

But Hartsburg couldn’t resist a rehash of Wednesday’s game, which the Ducks led by scores of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 in the second period.

“When you get a lead in this league, you’ve got to play harder,” Hartsburg said. “We didn’t and it cost us a point. We get a lead, especially in the third period, and we’ve got to buckle down and pay the price. It’s the time to win a hockey game. These are points we can’t afford to be losing.

“It’s not acceptable.”

Hartsburg hopes the Ducks ditch their short-attention-span brand of hockey for tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals.

“Now we’ve got to come back,” he said. “You don’t have a lot of time to gloat over wins or feel bad about losses. We’ve got to bounce back.”

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Tomas Sandstrom, sidelined more than a month because of a broken left wrist, skated lightly on his own Thursday. He is not expected to be cleared to practice until next month.

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The Ducks traded the rights to defenseman Drew Bannister to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a fifth-round pick in the 2000 draft. Bannister and the Ducks could not come to a contract agreement and he was playing for Las Vegas of the IHL.

TONIGHT

vs. Washington

7:30, Fox Sports West 2

Site--Arrowhead Pond.

Radio--XTRA (690).

Records--Ducks 9-11-6, Capitals 8-14-3.

Record vs. Capitals--0-1.

Update--The Capitals ran into a hot goalie and lost Wednesday to Stephane Fiset and the Kings, 2-1, their seventh loss in the last nine games.