Captain Paul Kariya placed some of the...

Captain Paul Kariya placed some of the blame for the Ducks’ failure to make the playoffs on his shoulders.

“Down the stretch, in every game, I’ve had to produce offensively,” he said. “It hasn’t been there consistently. . . . My job is to score goals and produce offense.”

With his 40th and 41st goals in the Ducks’ 5-1 victory Friday over the Nashville Predators, Kariya topped 40 goals for the third time in his career. Kariya had 50 goals in 1995-96 and 44 in 1996-97.

However, Kariya has “only” six goals and 15 points in 14 games since returning from a badly bruised right foot that sidelined him for seven games between Feb. 21 and March 5.

“I was off the ice for three weeks and didn’t play well after coming back,” Kariya said. “Offensively, I’m playing well now. I feel like I have my touch again. [But] it needed to be there right away. My foot feels really good since coming back.”