There’s a Few Things Missing After the Break

Like a bunch of college students returning from spring break, several of the Mighty Ducks, class of ‘06, missed practice Thursday for reasons that included a dental appointment (Teemu Selanne), doctors’ appointments (Chris Kunitz and Zenon Konopka) and simply being too tired (Samuel Pahlsson).

Still in what Coach Randy Carlyle referred to as a kind of post-Olympic-break haze, the Ducks slogged through a 2-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

“We were rusty the whole 60 minutes,” Carlyle said after Thursday’s practice. “I was disappointed. You never expect that and we didn’t want that to happen.”

Carlyle hopes most of that rust will be gone in time for tonight’s game against Minnesota.

The day off should help the Ducks’ two Olympic representatives, Selanne and Pahlsson. Selanne, whose Finland team won a silver medal, needed dental work after losing three teeth at the Games in Turin, Italy. Carlyle gave Pahlsson the day off because “he got the gold medal” as part of the Swedish team.

Kunitz and Konopka have had ankle problems. But while Kunitz is expected to play tonight, Konopka is not.

*

Scott Niedermayer, who had knee surgery during the two-week break, “is back at 100%,” Carlyle said after the defenseman’s performance against Detroit and again at Thursday’s practice. “He didn’t miss a beat.”

Carlyle was less definitive in assessing defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh’s first game in three months after a stay in the league’s substance abuse program.

“He was OK,” Carlyle said. “I don’t like to evaluate a player after one night.”

Ozolinsh said he felt “a little nervous before the game,” but added, “I feel great. My goal is to play the best I can for my coaches and my teammates. I’m grateful to be back.”

*

In an unusual shooting drill, Carlyle hung a small rink-replica chalkboard from the crossbar of one of the nets at Thursday’s practice and had the players fire away at it. It took about a minute for them to destroy the object.

TONIGHT

vs. Minnesota, 7:30, FSN West 2

Site -- Arrowhead Pond.

Radio -- 1090.

Records -- Ducks 27-20-11, Wild 29-27-5.

Record vs. Wild -- 0-2-1.

Update -- Carlyle says he expects his players to show him “a lot more skating, physical play and puck control” than they did in Wednesday night’s game against Detroit. Minnesota, he said, has “some game-breaking players,” including Brian Rolston, who has 24 goals and 62 points.

Tickets -- (877) 945-3946