Carlyle Uses the Bench to Spur Kunitz and Hedstrom

The greatest tool for a hockey coach to motivate a player is to pull his ice time.

Last week against Dallas, Mighty Duck Coach Randy Carlyle benched left wing Chris Kunitz after the rookie totaled just three points in the previous 12 games.

It worked. Kunitz has five points in the last three contests.

“You don’t want to get complacent in what you’re doing,” Kunitz said. “I didn’t think I was playing bad. Maybe I didn’t do some little things right or some of the things I needed to do to help us win.

“As you look back, you have to do all those little things to get back in the lineup.”

Recent maneuvers by Carlyle with the left side have also worked. The first-year coach installed Travis Moen in place of regular forward Jonathan Hedstrom against Columbus and Moen scored against the Blue Jackets.

Hedstrom returned and scored two games later against Colorado. Kunitz said the competition is good.

“Everybody on our team can play,” he said. “Guys can take your job as easy as you can take somebody else’s. You have to go out and work every night and show coach that you want to be in the lineup.”

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Center Andy McDonald went through a full practice without any complications after suffering a muscle cramp in his right leg Saturday night when he was hit by Phoenix Coyote defenseman Derek Morris.

McDonald, the team’s second-leading scorer, was visibly in pain on the bench in the second period but didn’t miss a shift and had two assists in the 5-2 victory.

“I felt pretty good,” McDonald said, admitting the leg was still sore. “I just had to get warmed up in the morning. Once I got going, it was fine.”

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Even with a six-game winning streak, Carlyle would like to see the tight defense that has been a strong point this season. The Ducks have been outshot three times during the streak, but Carlyle is more concerned with the quality of scoring chances allowed.

“I don’t think we can continue to give up the number of chances,” he said.

TONIGHT

at Colorado, 6 PST, OLN

Site -- Pepsi Center.

Radio -- 1090.

Records -- Ducks 37-21-12; Avalanche 39-25-8.

Record vs. Avalanche -- 1-2-0.

Update -- Colorado is short-handed: Alex Tanguay, its leading scorer, is out with a sprained right ankle and Marek Svatos, its leading goal scorer, is out indefinitely with a fractured right shoulder.