Kunitz Is Recalled From Minors

VANCOUVER, Canada — The highest compliment a player could earn from Coach Mike Babcock last season was to be called “greasy,” or tenacious and unyielding.

The Ducks haven’t been a well-oiled machine lately and they haven’t been greasy -- but hoping to recapture some of that quality, they recalled left wing Chris Kunitz from their Cincinnati farm team Friday.

Center Tony Martensson was returned to Cincinnati. He had a goal and two points in six games.

Kunitz, 24, scored 35 goals and 79 points for Ferris State last season and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey.

He led Cincinnati with 15 goals and 31 points in 38 games and won raves from Duck General Manager Bryan Murray, player personnel director Tim Murray and Cincinnati Coach Brad Shaw.

“What they say is, he’s a gritty guy who wins battles and shoots the puck,” Babcock said. “We’re trying to figure out who in our lineup can help us and who can’t.... At training camp, he wasn’t considered close to making the team, but he’s obviously come on.”

Babcock won’t decide where Kunitz will play until he learns whether Stanislav Chistov, who has a bruised hip, can return after a one-game absence.

“What we perceive him as is a shooter,” Babcock said of Kunitz. “Any time a team has the chances we have and isn’t scoring, you’re looking for someone to shoot at the net.” Babcock canceled practice Friday but reviewed tapes of the 1-0 loss at Edmonton on Thursday. He saw more players going to the net than he had originally thought, but that’s not much consolation.

“We’ve played better and harder, but we’ve got to finish,” said Babcock, whose team has been outscored, 25-14, in an 0-5-3 slump. “You can’t dip [emotionally]. You’re a pro athlete and you’re paid well and you live a good life. When things aren’t going well for your team, you’ve got to respond. The same goes for the coach....

“We’ve got to keep going to the net and playing well defensively. That’s where everything comes from for us. We can’t exchange chances with the Vancouver Canucks. We’ve got to be as gritty and greasy as we can be.”

*

TONIGHT

at Vancouver, 7

Channel 9

Site -- GM Place.

Radio -- XPRS (1090).

Records -- Ducks 13-20-7-5, Canucks 25-12-7-2.

Record vs. Canucks -- 0-1.

Update -- The Canucks are 3-1-1 in their last five games and are among the NHL’s most prolific teams, with 135 goals. Markus Naslund is among the leaders in goal scoring with 25 and is first in scoring, with 53 points.