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 The Anaheim right winger scored for the seventh consecutive game
and helped the Ducks hold off the Minnesota Wild for a 2-1 victory
Wednesday night before 15,252 at Honda Center.
Perry's goal in the second period turned out to be the difference
for the Ducks, who defeated the Wild (18-10-5) for the sixth
straight time and extended their winning streak to four. Anaheim
(22-7-5) also improved its record at Honda Center to 12-0-2, the
only NHL club to avoid a loss in regulation at home this season.
Perry left the contest midway through the second period after
colliding with a teammate, defenseman Hampus Lindholm. After taking
a few minutes to regain his senses, Perry returned and knocked home
a rebound of a Lindholm miss at 13:27 of the second for a 2-0
Anaheim lead. Center Ryan Getzlaf assisted on the goal, raising his
string of games with a point to 13.
"It was a great play by (Getzlaf), driving wide," said Perry, who
has a club-leading 21 goals and 36 points, which is second to
Getzlaf's 38 on the Ducks. "(Lindholm) had a pretty good shot there
and just missed the top corner. It came off the back wall, and I
just batted it out of the air."
Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller recorded 23 saves, while Minnesota
netminder Josh Harding finished with 29.
"We didn't create enough offense, but you have to give them credit,
too, because of the way they played their defense," Wild center
Mikko Koivu said. "We just have to find a way to create more and get
momentum, especially early in the game."
Defense dictated much of the contest. After a scoreless first
period, Anaheim's Alex Grant broke the ice and scored his second
goal in as many games. The rookie defenseman rushed down the right
side of the ice and drilled a shot past Harding for a 1-0 Anaheim
lead at 2:37 of the second period.
Grant became the first defenseman to score in his opening two games
since Marcus Ragnarsson did it for the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 7 and
Oct. 12 in 1995. Center Andrew Cogliano set up Grant.
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"I just got a great pass from (Cogliano)," Grant said. "I
took it in and kind of looked toward the middle, and (Harding)
cheated a little bit and came off his post. I just put it on net
and it went in."
After Perry doubled the lead in the second period, right winger
Jason Pominville put Minnesota on the board at 3:48 of the
third. Pominville picked up an attempt by defenseman Ryan Suter
and cashed it in for his club-high 15th goal on a power play to
cut Anaheim's lead to 2-1.
The Wild failed to score again, completing another tough outing
on the road.
"I think we saw tonight, the first two periods, it felt like we
were on our heels," Pominville said. "We were giving them time
to make plays and control the puck and the neutral zone. We were
kind of chasing. Any team in the league, if they are playing
against a team that is on their heels is going to make plays and
good things happen.
"I think in the third (period), we were more on our toes, more
aggressive. Forwards were supporting each other better and our
(defense) was involved. It makes a big difference. It just
wasn't there in the first two periods, and we started doing it
too late."
NOTES: Ducks D Mark Fistric, who left Monday's win over the New
York Islanders with a lower-body injury, was scratched. ... The
Koivu brothers met for the 18th time. Ducks C Saku Koivu has a
11-3-4 mark against Minnesota C Mikko Koivu. ... Anaheim RW Kyle
Palmieri played in his 100th career game. ... The Wild are one
of the lowest-scoring clubs on the road, averaging 1.8 goals per
game. With a 5-7-3 mark, they also are the only NHL club with at
least 40 points despite having a losing road record. ...
Wednesday's outing was the first of a three-game trip for the
Wild. They visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and the
Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. ... The Ducks host the Edmonton
Oilers on Sunday before embarking on a four-game trip that
begins Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.
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