Hebert Says He Needs a Kick-Start

Goalie Guy Hebert cut to the chase Wednesday morning.

“I have to do more in order for our team to be successful,” he said. “I haven’t played to my potential. I need a swift kick in the pants.”

Hebert has given up 22 goals in five games since the All-Star break, which earned him a seat on the bench for a second consecutive game on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Backup Dominic Roussel, who sat out 11 consecutive games between Jan. 19 and Feb. 12, did his best to keep the Ducks in the playoff race. Hebert had another tutorial with goalie coach Francois Allaire Wednesday morning.

“I’ve analyzed it to death,” Hebert said of his recent struggles. “I’m looking forward to getting refocused and getting back on track.”

Asked if there was a specific reason for his slump, Hebert said, “I just think maybe I got away from what made me successful. I’ve got to try to get myself back together. It’s great Francois is here. We’re working on my technique. . . . Right now, I’ve got to get my game back in shape as quickly as I can.”

Allaire believes it’s simply a matter of fine-tuning for Hebert, who is 19-23-7 with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

“Last year, [Hebert and Roussel combined] to make the most saves in the league,” Allaire said. “Nothing has changed since last year. From my point of view, if our technique is great and we know what we have to do, the confidence will be there.”

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Paul Kariya, sidelined for a second game, reported some improvement in his bruised right foot. He has been walking with the aid of a brace he called a “moon boot.”

“It definitely feels better,” Kariya said. “I wanted to play Monday [against St. Louis], but I couldn’t get my foot in my skate. I couldn’t put any pressure on it.”