Kariya Says It’s Time They Got Prepared

Say this for the Mighty inconsistent Ducks, they know what’s wrong with their game.

Improving their lackluster defensive play is a must if they are to end an 0-3-2 slump that has dropped them to the bottom of the Pacific Division standings. The Ducks have given up a league-leading 540 shots, an average of more than 31 a game. They also have given up 60 goals, an average of 3.5 per game.

“It’s a really important time, obviously,” captain Paul Kariya said. “We’ve got to get some things fixed before we can become a good team. But more than that, we need to work on our preparation and our work ethic to the point where we see it game in and game out.”

After 17 games, what has troubled Kariya most of all is the Ducks’ tendency to correct one aspect of their game only to watch another element go haywire.

“We fix one thing and something else breaks down,” he said. “We have to put it all together. I’m confident [they can]. As soon as a problem is brought up, we fix it. It’s a matter of us staying with it. We’ve just got to do it.”

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Coach Craig Hartsburg has a theory as to why the Ducks have slumped after starting the season with a franchise-best 6-3-2-1 record for 15 points.

“Maybe the problem was that we were winning, but we didn’t pay attention to the details,” Hartsburg said. “You don’t really want to believe you’re not playing well when you’re winning.”

TONIGHT

at Colorado, 6 PST

* Site--Pepsi Center, Denver.

* Radio--KOGO (600).

* Records--Ducks 6-6-3-2, Avalanche 11-2-3-0.

* Record vs. Avalanche (1999-2000)--1-2-1.

* Update--Colorado has a league-leading 25 points and is coming off a 3-3 tie Thursday against the Central Division-leading St. Louis Blues. The Avalanche will not be at full strength tonight. Forwards Adam Deadmarsh and Chris Drury remain sidelined by injuries. Deadmarsh has been out for three games because of a concussion suffered in a Nov. 1 fight with Vancouver defenseman Ed Jovanovski. Drury suffered a sprained knee in the same game and is expected to be out at least five weeks. Colorado leads the all-time series against the Ducks, 13-8-5. Duck right wing Teemu Selanne has 16 goals and 36 points in 26 games against the Avalanche.