Hebert Keeps Eye on the Oval Office

Searching for a novel way to get the Ducks out of their monthlong rut, Coach Pierre Page called off practice at a suburban Washington rink Wednesday and sent the players on a sightseeing trip to the White House instead.

Goaltender Guy Hebert wondered if, as a member of the U.S. Olympic team, he would be invited to meet President Clinton. There were smiles and laughter all around.

“We need to do something different for the guys,” Page said. “We need to do something fun. If we stick with it, we’ll come out of it soon. We’re right on the verge.”

The Ducks won only two of 12 games in December.

“I don’t think we’re working as hard as we can,” winger Warren Rychel said after the Ducks’ 2-1 loss Tuesday to the Carolina Hurricanes. “We’ve got to create more chances in front. The games are all so close now we’ve got to create our own breaks.”

TONIGHT at Washington

* 10:30 a.m. PST

* Fox Sports West 2

Site--MCI Center.

Radio--KRLA 1110, KCKC 1350, KPLS 830.

Records--Ducks 13-20-7, Capitals 17-15-8.

Record vs. Capitals--1-0.

Update--The Ducks finished December with a 2-8-2 record and are 1-5-1 since defeating Washington, 6-4, Dec. 12 in former coach Ron Wilson’s return to Anaheim. The Ducks are 0-5-2 in the last seven road games and 0-2-1 on the first three games of this six-game trip. The Capitals haven’t exactly been on the same torrid pace as in October, when they began Wilson’s first season in Washington with a 7-1 record. They are 2-5-4 in the last 11 games and 2-3-3 since squandering a three-goal lead in the first game against the Ducks. Enforcer Chris Simon has missed four games because of a shoulder injury and reportedly will soon undergo season-ending surgery. Joe Juneau is expected to be sidelined for three to five weeks because of a knee injury. Peter Bondra leads the Capitals with 22 goals, but hasn’t scored since Dec. 20 against Carolina.