The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are taking their dads on a two-game road trip this weekend. Kind of like showing off when you used to play in squirts or midgets.

	HOCKEY TALK
	"It's almost like the piano came off his back … and off the team's back, too." -- Detroit winger Brendan Shanahan on Brett Hull scoring his 700th career goal after a seven-game goal drought. The Wings have scored nine goals in their past two games
	THE NUMBER
	29 Points (10 goals, 19 assists) Colorado center Peter Forsberg has in the 14 games he has played without Joe Sakic this season. The Avalanche are 14-1-2-1 with Sakic on the sideline this season.
	WHO'S HOT
	Maybe he senses the trade talks surrounding him or maybe he's just starting to play the way he should. Either way, Flames winger Jarome Iginla has six goals in the last four games.
	WHO'S NOT
	The Canucks are 4-0-2 since Ed Jovanovski's return from a heel injury. However, he is has no points and is minus-3 in that span. Not to worry, though, he seems to be pushing his minutes up with every game -- plus, the Canucks were 7-6-1 without him.
	THIS WEEK'S SIGN ...
	Something is wrong in San Jose: Last season, the Sharks allowed 58 power-play goals and their penalty kill ranked 10th in the league. This season, the Sharks have allowed 59 and rank dead last.

And while it might seem strange that NHL veterans are acting like kids, the timing is ironically perfect. You see, for the first time in a long time, the Ducks have something to show off about.

Rolling into Dallas for a Pacific Division showdown with the Stars on Friday, Anaheim was on a 6-1-0 run (11-3-0-1 in their past 15). It is as hot as the team has been since … well, since, ever. The Mighty Ducks finished three games above .500 in 1996-97 (thanks in large part of a 12-game unbeaten streak of 7-0-5), but that's pretty much the high-water mark in the 10-year franchise history.

And what's most impressive about this little hot streak is that it's built not on the high-flying offense of a couple of superstars -- as past Ducks teams have been -- it's built on a concept of team defense and smart play. In fact, the entire season has been built on bringing the Mighty Ducks back to the basics of winning hockey.

"The thing I like is we're getting to see our guys in a challenging environment night in and night out," coach Mike Babcock said. "And they're responding."

And how. The Mighty Ducks have eclipsed a little-known NHL record by posting 10 consecutive victories by one goal. The record is a little convoluted in that the victories are not consecutive -- the Ducks have lost during that span. But in their last 10 victories (a span of 10-3-0-1), the team has won all 10 games by one goal. The 1927 Ottawa Senators did it nine times.

That the Ducks (who were 13-21 in one-goal games last season) are winning those games is a little bit of a surprise. In its franchise history, the team has been called fast, exciting, wild and unpredictable. It has rarely been called smart, disciplined or mentally tough. But under GM Bryan Murray and first-year coach Babcock, the Ducks have changed their feathers.

Murray has brought in Keith Carney and given a chance to Kurt Sauer and Niclas Havelid on defense. His somewhat risky pickup of Sandis Ozolinsh also looks good right now. Up front, Murray brought in Adam Oates, Petr Sykora and Patric Kjellberg. He's also benefited from a healthy Steve Rucchin.

The bottom line is that this is no longer a one-line team. Paul Kariya plays 20 minutes a night and doesn't even lead his own team in shots, let alone the NHL. Young players like Stanislav Chistov and Alexei Smirnov have stepped in admirably. Though the power play is carrying too much of the offensive weight, but everyone is sharing in a team defense that ranks ninth in the NHL.

But maybe the most important move Murray made was showing faith in Babcock. A 39-year-old who has worked his way up through the Canadian junior system, Babcock is a no-nonsense guy who still can have fun. He's instilled defense without making it a job for the Ducks.

"It's an 82-game sprint to the playoffs," he said, and the players don't seem to mind.

"Every point is important and every game is a must-win," Kariya said, matter-of-factly, repeating his coach's mantra. "It seems like it's been that way since October."

But, in Anaheim, it has to be that way. The Ducks are trying to climb a Western Conference thick with contenders. The Stars and Oilers missed the playoffs last year. The Sharks and Kings likely will this season. Just getting to the postseason is an accomplishment, and the Anaheim players finally are embracing that as a challenge rather than a job.

"I definitely think we're a team that can make the playoffs," Giguere said. "They just made the big (Ozolinsh) trade for us and now it's up to the players to decide what we want to do."

Depth chart

	Modano