[March 03, 2014]ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A quick start was
just what the Anaheim Ducks needed, right winger Corey Perry said.
Perry scored two first-period goals, and the Ducks earned a 5-3
victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Honda Center on Sunday.
"It's all about having good starts and jumping on your opponent,"
said Perry, who recorded his sixth multi-goal game this season and
the 39th of his career. "We played our style of game. We knew they
played (Saturday), as well. They're fighting for a playoff spot.
"We did the right thing tonight, came out in the first period and
got the lead."
The NHL-leading Ducks (43-14-5) captured their third win in a row,
improving to 24-5-2 at home. The Hurricanes (26-26-9) dropped their
fifth consecutive game. They were coming off a 3-1 setback to the
Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen stopped 49 shots, while Carolina
netminder Cam Ward made 29 saves. Andersen has 15 wins, tops among
rookies.
Ducks left winger Dustin Penner had two assists. Perry also recorded
an assist.
Three goals in the first period set the tone for the Ducks, who
eventually led 5-0.
"That first period we were buzzing all over the place," said center
Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks' points leader who collected his 68th with
an assist in the first period. "We were moving the puck so quick.
We're just building now. The last game we didn't execute that well,
but we played hard. But it was nice to see us rebound like that and
come out (strong) in the first period."
Perry gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead, cashing in a rebound of an attempt by
Penner and slipping the puck past Ward at 6:39.
Anaheim made it 2-0 on defenseman Francois Beauchemin's slap shot
from just below the blue line at 13:38 of the first.
Perry scored his second goal and his club-leading 32nd when he
launched a wrist shot over Ward's left shoulder with 3:34 remaining
in the first for a 3-0 advantage.
Ducks center Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal early in the
second period, intercepting a pass and blasting a shot through
Ward's legs for a 4-0 lead. Cogliano has a career-high 19 goals,
three of them with his team short-handed.
Right winger Jakob Silfverberg added another goal at 8:47 of the
second, grabbing a loose puck behind the Hurricanes' net and
sneaking it past Ward.
"Tonight we made a couple of mistakes and they capitalized,"
Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "They've got some good players and
they scored, but defensively we have been pretty solid."
Defenseman Andrej Sekera put Carolina on the board with a goal with
3:40 left in the second, and Hurricanes right winger Patrick Dwyer
added another goal at 11:29 of the third. Carolina right winger
Alexander Semin scored unassisted on a breakaway with 1:05 left in
the contest.
Getzlaf delivered his 39th assist on Perry's opening goal.
Defenseman Cam Fowler, center Saku Koivu and right winger Kyle
Palmeri also had assists for the Ducks.
"It's a good thing to get going here on a little bit of a streak,"
Cogliano said. "We didn't feel like we played our best before the
Olympic break, so to have two wins to come out of it is a good
sign."
The win was the 100th for Bruce Boudreau as the Ducks' head coach.
He is the fastest Anaheim coach to reach 100 wins, accomplishing the
feat in 168 games. Boudreau is 100-49-19 with Anaheim.
NOTES: The Ducks honored Olympians from both squads before the game.
Anaheim RW Teemu Selanne, MVP of the tournament after leading
Finland to a bronze medal, received the loudest roar from the crowd.
... Anaheim C Mathieu Perreault, who left Friday's game with an
upper body injury, was scratched from Sunday's contest. ... Carolina
RW Alexander Semin, who missed Saturday's loss to the Los Angeles
Kings with a lower body injury, returned to the ice Sunday. ...
Carolina D Justin Faulk left the game with an upper-body injury and
did not return. ... The Hurricanes went 0-for-6 on the power play,
making them 0-for-21 over their past five games, their longest
drought of the season. ... Carolina visits the San Jose Sharks on
Tuesday before returning home to face the New York Rangers on
Friday. ... The Ducks host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. ...
The announced crowd was 17,174.
Perry scored two first-period goals, and the Ducks earned a 5-3
victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Honda Center on Sunday.
