Duck Shots

A weekly update on the Mighty Ducks.

A 1-2-1 record for the week is not the way to establish a presence in the playoff race. The Ducks, a combined 1-2-3 early this season against the coming week’s opponents, need to solidify their hold on a playoff spot rather than hope for a tiebreaker advantage in April. Here’s a look at what’s ahead.

* Where they stand: 19-24-6 (44 points), fourth in the Pacific Division, tied for eighth in the Western Conference.

* Who’s hot: Sean Pronger has goals in two games and outplays his brother Chris in St. Louis.

* Who’s not: Brian Bellows, Jari Kurri and Kevin Todd aren’t scoring and their plus-minus ratings cannot be what the Ducks had envisioned.

UPCOMING

* Tonight, Hartford (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports West): The Whalers’ first road victory of 1997 came at Buffalo (5-1) Jan. 25. Going 1-6 on the road this year would not be such a big deal if the Whalers had not raised expectations by leading their division early this season.

* Sunday, Colorado (5 p.m., Fox Sports West 2, ESPN2): Patrick Roy is back and Joe Sakic, who has missed 11 games because of a cut left calf, has been cleared to resume skating. Things are going well despite the injuries. Colorado is 12-2-3 in their last 17 games.

* Tuesday, at N.Y. Islanders (4:30 p.m., Fox Sports West 2): Mike Milbury ordered a postgame skate Jan. 20 after a 6-4 loss to St. Louis. Blues players, dressed and ready to leave the arena, reportedly told the Islanders to “wave the white flags, boys.” Instead, the Islanders won three of five games to help mark the coaching transition from Milbury, now only general manager, to Rick Bowness.

* Wednesday, at Toronto (4:30 p.m., Fox Sports West 2): The Maple Leafs can’t find enough ways to explain why they have lost 10 of their last 12 games. “We didn’t start, we didn’t compete, we didn’t play,” Coach Mike Murphy told the Associated Press after a 4-0 loss to St. Louis Jan. 29. Murphy said bad memories--forgetting their fathers’ advice of never passing the puck through the slot in their own end--cost his team Jan. 27 against the Avalanche. Poor conditioning was the topic after a loss to Dallas Jan. 15.