McDonald picks up pace

Andy McDonald knew the stakes would be raised after his 85-point effort with the Ducks a season ago.

McDonald also realized that the pressure on him would grow exponentially after he was rewarded with a three-year, $10-million contract last July. It’s a different world being a No. 1 center in the NHL.

“There wasn’t really expectation from management early on for me to be a first-line center and contribute that much offensively,” he said. “Based on what happened last year, I guess they’re going to expect that every year now.”

McDonald doesn’t figure to match the 34 goals or the 85 points he had in 2005-06, but his 50 points -- 15 goals and 35 assists -- are slightly below that of Colorado star Joe Sakic and comparable to the totals of Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk and Florida’s Olli Jokinen.

After a slow start to this season, McDonald is on pace for 23 goals and 77 points.

“The season last year gave him the confidence to come back this year and play to that level,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “There’s a lot of pressure on your go-to guys. That’s what happens when you have success and your team has success.

“For certain individuals that have success, there’s rewards that are given out for that. And then comes the pressure to do it again.”

Even as he is proving to be more than a one-season wonder, McDonald is having trouble shaking the perception that he isn’t a true top-line center.

One particular suggestion came from a Toronto newspaper, which drew an angry response from General Manager Brian Burke. Burke said he’d like “to meet the imbecile who said that in a dark alley.”

Said McDonald: “It’s nice to know that your general manager supports you like that. For him to say something like that with those kind of comments means a lot.”

*

The Ducks will have seven defensemen if Scott Niedermayer returns to the lineup Tuesday. If so, one will have to sit out the Pacific Division showdown in San Jose.

Ric Jackman is making his case to stay in the lineup. After a poor first game with the Ducks in which he was a minus-4, Jackman has seven assists and is a plus-2 in the last 10 games.

“I think there is some comfort with him in what our expectations are,” Carlyle said.

“There’s more of a comfort with the minutes he’s not playing versus what he was forced to play right away.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com