Defense Opens Up Offense

Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg sought to correct reporters Tuesday. “It’s not a defensive style we’ve been playing,” he said, smirking to indicate he wasn’t upset.

“It’s a team game.”

Whatever.

The point is the Mighty Ducks have played sound defense while still creating plenty of scoring chances, and not simply for their first line of Paul Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne.

The Ducks have plenty of depth, what with 10 players scoring 10 or more points in the season’s first 34 games.

Kariya and Selanne are averaging about a point a game, which would be well shy of their 100-point seasons in 1998-99. But Hartsburg believes they are playing better all-around hockey this season.

Or rather, they are playing a better “team game.”

“Those guys are our leaders,” Hartsburg said. “They want to win. They have been through the ups and downs here. They have received all the accolades and scored all the points you could imagine.

“Now, they’re trying to play a solid game, a solid team game.”

Hartsburg says their scoring will increase once the Duck power-play unit begins living up to its potential. After all, Kariya has four of his 14 goals on the power play. Only two of Selanne’s 14 have come while on the man advantage.

Hartsburg also believes the plus/minus ratings of his all-star wingers are a better gauge of their effectiveness this season. Kariya is plus 20, tops among NHL forwards, and Selanne is plus 17.

*

Left wing Mike Leclerc’s battle with an infected left elbow continues. He had elbow surgery Oct. 29, which sidelined him for 11 games. A flare-up of the injury will keep him out of his second consecutive game tonight, when the Ducks host the Phoenix Coyotes.

“I’m constantly banging it during practice and games and it finally got infected again,” said Leclerc, who has six goals and nine points in 22 games. “It’s improved about 100% the last few days. I’ll take a couple of days off over the Christmas break. I’m trying to aim for the San Jose game [Sunday].”

TONIGHT

vs. Phoenix, 7:30

Fox Sports Net 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 17-13-4-1, Coyotes 19-12-3-0.

* Record vs. Coyotes--1-2.

* Update--The Ducks have outscored the opposition, 13-4, during their four-game winning streak. A victory tonight would put the Ducks five games over the .500 mark for the fourth time in the franchise’s seven-season history. They last were five games over .500 when they were 34-29-12 last April 3. The Ducks have at least one power-play goal in four consecutive games. The Coyotes have lost five of six, including Tuesday night’s 6-0 setback against the St. Louis Blues at Phoenix.

* Tickets--(714) 740-2000.