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.