Give Them a Break and They Look Good

It’s funny what a victory and a day off can do for a team.

Coach Bryan Murray gave the Mighty Ducks a break after their 3-1 victory over Vancouver on Sunday night and his team responded with one of their most spirited practices of the season Tuesday morning.

“We did some real good things in drills,” Murray said about the Ducks, who play at Phoenix tonight. “Teams like this are not as confident as you would like right now because they haven’t had the success. It’s our job as coaches to improve them individually and then after that the team will improve.”

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After watching Paul Kariya score once in the first nine games, Murray decided it was time to have a word with the captain.

“He has played very well, helping us defensively and moving the puck well,” Murray said. “But one of his main jobs here is to obviously get some points. Sometimes he tries to shoot the puck so hard that he is not as accurate as he could be. He may shoot one through a goaltender on one night, but until he does, he should try to hit the corner more often.”

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The Ducks are hosting their third annual “Dux in Tux” charity event Friday at 6 p.m. at the Disneyland Hotel. All proceeds will go to Mighty Ducks Care and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Contact Renee Zidan at (714) 940-2910.

TONIGHT

At Phoenix, 7

Fox Sports Net 2

Site--America West Arena.

Radio--XTRA (690).

Records--Ducks 3-5-1-0; Coyotes 3-3-2-0.

Record vs. Coyotes (2000-01)--2-2-1-0.

Update--Goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere will be going for his second consecutive victory for the Mighty Ducks, who won both games at Phoenix last season.