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 It was definitely worth the trip.
Corey Perry and Nick Ritchie scored second-period goals, Frederik
Andersen stopped 24 shots, and the Ducks defeated the Capitals 2-0
Sunday night to capture the Pacific Division championship.
The Ducks (46-25-11) earned their fourth consecutive division title,
slipping ahead of the Los Angeles Kings by one point after winning
the NHL's final regular-season game. The contest was originally
slated for Jan. 22 before being postponed due to a severe snowstorm.
"With what we've gone through this year, and the ups and downs that
we've had, this one has a little more meaning to me," Anaheim
defenseman Cam Fowler said. "Extremely proud of our group, the way
we continued to fight and management (for) sticking with us and not
making any major changes."
Anaheim will face the Nashville Predators on Friday in the opener of
a first-round playoff series.
 The Ducks earned points in eight of their last 10 games, going 6-2-2
in that span, to pass the Kings. Since Dec. 26, Anaheim is 34-10-5,
the best record in the NHL during that period.
"Something clicked at Christmas, and everybody came back to play,
and ever since then, it's been the team we thought it could be,"
Perry said.
Andersen, back after missing five games with a concussion, picked up
his third shutout of the season. Ducks goaltenders finished with the
league's lowest goals-against average (2.29) to earn the William M.
Jennings Trophy.
"Freddie was tremendous," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "That
could have been as good as I've ever seen him."
Washington (56-18-8) is the No. 1 overall seed and will have
home-ice advantage throughout its stay in the playoffs. The Capitals
begin postseason play against the Metropolitan Division rival
Philadelphia Flyers starting on Thursday.
"I think the matchup's pretty good," Washington defenseman Karl
Alzner said of the Flyers. "They've got some really good depth,
they're a good defensive team and they've got some game-breakers."
Capitals coach Barry Trotz rested several regulars Sunday night,
including 50-goal scorer Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
Washington goalie Braden Holtby, who tied Martin Brodeur's NHL
single-season mark with his 48th win Saturday in a 5-1 victory in
St. Louis, also sat out the second game of back-to-back contests.
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Backup goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 19 shots for Washington,
which dropped four its last five games (1-2-2).
"I feel fine," Trotz said about his team as it enters the playoffs.
"I feel that we're geared up. I saw it last night. I saw where we
were."
After a scoreless first period, the Ducks took command in bang-bang
fashion early in the second period.
First, Perry scored his 34th goal of the season when he capped a
pretty give-and-go with Ryan Garbutt with a wraparound goal on
Grubauer at 4:34.
Just 2:02 later, Mike Santorelli sent a puck on net from a tough
angle in the right circle, and Ritchie deflected it past Grubauer
for his second goal of the season.
From there, Anaheim's defensive play sealed the win.
"When we weren't scoring this year, what kept us in it was our
defense, and that's something we were able to hang our hat on and
that's what wins you playoff games," Fowler said.
NOTES: Washington RW Justin Williams played his 1,000th NHL game and
was honored during a pregame ceremony. ... Capitals RW Jay Beagle,
who sustained a lower-body injury Saturday night, did not play
Sunday. He is day-to-day. Washington recalled F Zach Sill from
Hershey of the AHL, and he was in the lineup. ... In addition to LW
Alex Ovechkin and C Nicklas Backstrom, the Capitals rested D Brooks
Orpik and D John Carlson. ... Anaheim G John Gibson (lower body) and
C Ryan Kesler (lower body) did not travel to Washington. ... LW
Brandon Pirri (upper body), D Kevin Bieksa (upper body), C Rickard
Rakell (appendectomy) and D Sami Vatanen (flu) were also among the
Anaheim scratches. ... Washington became the first team since the
1976-77 Montreal Canadians to go through the regular season without
consecutive regulation losses.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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