Five-Game Stretch Hasn’t Been Going According to Plan

All is not well for the Ducks, who are 3-6-1 in their last 10 and have either trailed or been tied at the end of the first period in seven consecutive games.

Last week, Coach Craig Hartsburg listed the last five teams the Ducks were to play before the All-Star break--Calgary, Dallas, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Phoenix--on a grease board in the dressing room.

The Ducks’ mission: To win all five. The Ducks are 0-2 in Hartsburg’s five-game stretch.

“We’ve got to get back on track,” captain Paul Kariya said. “It’s a good test for us. We’ve got to get back to playing our game.”

Right wing Teemu Selanne believes he knows the key to the Ducks’ fortunes.

“When we don’t use our speed, we’re going to be in trouble,” Selanne said. “Once in a while it’s going to happen.”

Selanne is not overly concerned about the Ducks’ recent slump, however. He believes the Ducks, who are seventh overall in the Western Conference with 40 points, are in better shape than it appears.

“I think everything is in our own hands,” he said. “We don’t have to play .600 or .700 hockey just to make it into the playoffs. We’re going to be better in the second half. We know how good we can play.”

Tonight

vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30

Fox Sports West 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 16-18-8, Penguins 20-12-7.

* Record vs. Penguins--0-0-1.

* Update--The teams tied, 4-4, Dec. 1 at Pittsburgh. The game features three of the league’s top scorers. Kariya leads the Ducks and is second in the NHL with 56 points (17 goals, 39 assists). Selanne leads the Ducks with 21 goals and is the league’s seventh-leading scorer with 46 points. Pittsburgh’s Jaromir Jagr is tied with Philadelphia’s John LeClair for third with 54 points (17 goals, 37 assists). The Penguins had lost two in a row before Saturday’s 5-1 victory over the Kings.