McKenzie Waived in Roster Shuffle After Another Loss

The Mighty Ducks went sifting through the rubble Tuesday, a day after a 5-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, with a rare appearance by General Manager Pierre Gauthier at practice.

Left wing Jim McKenzie was put on waivers to make room on the roster for left wing Maxim Balmochnykh and defenseman Vitali Vishnevski, who were called from Cincinnati late Monday night.

A players-only team meeting followed practice, which ended with captain Paul Kariya walking briskly out of the dressing room.

“We know what we have to do,” Teemu Selanne said. “We have to turn it around right now. The power play has to get better. We have to stop the turnovers. There are a lot things we have to improve right now. If we have to have another meeting like that, we’re out of the playoffs.”

The Ducks, 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, certainly took note of McKenzie’s departure. Teams have until Thursday to claim him.

“Something was going to happen,” Selanne said. “Management wasn’t going to look at this forever without making some decision.”

Bringing in Balmochnykh and Vishnevski was also a clear message.

“We needed to change the chemistry,” Gauthier said. “We have been talking about the two kids for a week. We have been monitoring their development. We wanted to make sure it was the right thing for them as well as the team. Everyone knew they would be coming up at some point.”

But the decision, Coach Craig Hartsburg said, wasn’t made until after Monday’s debacle against the Sabres.

Gauthier, though, said it was unlikely there would be any drastic moves.

“The answers are right down there on the ice,” he said. “It was a disappointing loss because we had played three really good games in a row. We only had one win, but we were saying, ‘Now it’s coming back.’ ”

TONIGHT

vs. Dallas

7:30, Fox Sports Net 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 19-22-5-1, Stars 23-17-5-2.

* Record vs. Stars--2-2.

* Update--Duck left wing Stu Grimson suffered a broken left hand in Monday’s game and said he will be sidelined three to four weeks. It made McKenzie’s release seem even stranger. Grimson and McKenzie were brought in last season to keep teams from taking shots at Selanne and Kariya. The Ducks now are without an enforcer, not that anyone seemed concerned. “We have bigger things to worry about right now,” Selanne said. Still, it couldn’t come at a worse time, considering the stormy past involving the Ducks and Stars. Goalie Guy Hebert, scratched Monday because of flu, is expected to start. The Stars will have center Mike Modano (concussion) and Brett Hull (strained groin) back in the lineup.

* Tickets--(714) 740-2000.