Perry extends streak to 16 games in Ducks' win
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 1:57 AM ET
The Associated Press
Teemu Selanne scored the winning goal and added an assist as the Anaheim Ducks beat Carolina 3-2 on Wednesday night, sending the Hurricanes to a franchise-record 12th straight road loss to start the season.
Carolina led for more than 38 minutes, but Scott Niedermayer tied the game late in the second period for the Ducks. Anaheim scored twice in the third before the Hurricanes made things interesting with a goal with just 53 seconds to play.
Selanne converted a centring pass from Saku Koivu to give Anaheim a 3-1 lead with 1:32 remaining.
Carolina forward Brandon Sutter's sixth goal ended the scoring, a fluky one that snuck between Jean-Sebastien Giguere's pads and the near post.
Giguere, making consecutive starts for the first time this season, stopped 27 shots after making 41 saves and turning back three more in a shootout Monday night in a 3-2 win over Calgary.
"We're not asked to steal a game," said Giguere. "We just have to give the team a chance. And if we do that on a consistent basis, the guys are going to feel confident enough to play their game. And then we'll see a big turnaround."
Corey Perry assisted on the power-play goal by Niedermayer to extend his career-best points streak to 16 games, the longest in the NHL this season and one shy of the franchise record set by Selanne during the 1998-99 campaign.
All-star centre Eric Staal, who returned to the Carolina lineup after missing 10 games with an undisclosed injury, was in the penalty box for high-sticking when the Ducks tied it with just 49 seconds left in the second.
Perry chased a loose puck into the left corner with two defenders pinning him against the glass, but made a nice backhanded pass to Selanne, who set up Niedermayer at the right of the net. The Anaheim captain one-timed it and didn't get a lot of steam on the shot, but just enough to make it flutter over Legace's glove.
Perry has nine goals and 13 assists during his point streak, although he has gone without a goal in five straight.
Petteri Nokelainen broke the tie with 7:17 left in the third on his second of the season. Veteran Kyle Calder, recently called up from the minors, recorded his first point in five games in a Ducks uniform with an assist.
The Finn scored on a short wrist shot after the Hurricanes turned the puck over in their own end.
Manny Legace made his sixth start in eight games since signing with Carolina on Nov. 9 in the wake of Cam Ward's leg injury, stopping 30 shots.
"Every loss stinks," Legace said. "It seems like we played that third period not to lose. You've got to go out and play hard."
Carolina's Tom Kostopoulos scored on the first shot by either team.
Joni Pitkanen's slapshot from the left point hit a player in the slot, but Matt Cullen got the carom and made a cross-ice pass to Kostopoulos, who scored into a wide-open net with Giguere out of position.
Carolina, the only team in the league that hasn't won on the road, had dropped its first 11 away from home to start the 1981-82 season, when they were the Hartford Whalers.
"There's no bad teams in this league," Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf said. "You look up and down their lineup and they've got a good roster there. They play a patient game and they played well tonight, so we're lucky to get the two points."
With the win, the Ducks improved to 9-11-3, but are still 14th in the conference, one point behind St. Louis.
