• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Giguere, Perry help Ducks win fourth straight

Nov 18, 2007 - 7:22 AM By Michael Duca PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Corey Perry notched the decisive goal in the shootout as the Anaheim Ducks posted their fourth straight win, a 2-1 triumph over the San Jose Sharks in a matchup of Pacific Division rivals on Saturday.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who posted a shootout win over San Jose in the previous meeting between the clubs on November 9, stopped 28 shots to help snap the Sharks' four-game winning streak.

"We knew these would be tightly contested games," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "Power plays and penalty-killing didn't really have a huge effect."

Devin Setoguchi, the first shooter in the bonus format, was denied by Giguere when he tried to slide the puck between the netminder's pads. Ryan Getzlaf, who recorded an assist in regulation, hit the right goalpost on Anaheim's first attempt, and Giguere then denied Patrick Marleau with his right blocker.

That set the stage for Perry, who skated to the far right and cut across the low slot. Avoiding goaltender Evgeni Nabokov's poke-check attempt, Perry lifted a backhander under the crossbar to give the Ducks the edge.

"It's not what I wanted to do. I wanted to stop," Perry said. "It was a quick reaction. I saw him going for the poke-check and I tried to get the puck away from his stick as quick as possible. He was down on his stomach, so he couldn't get up. I just had to get the puck up in the air."

Giguere sealed the win by stopping Joe Pavelski on the Sharks' final opportunity.

"It was a good (team) effort," Giguere said. "We've been winning a few games lately, but we were not happy with the way we were playing. All we were looking for was a 60-minute effort - or 65, in this case. I think we did that."

San Jose tied the game at 1-1 at 7:03 of the third, when rookie Torrey Mitchell redirected a shot from the point past Giguere.

Jeremy Roenick won a faceoff and sent a pass to defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, who launched a slap shot from behind the right faceoff circle into traffic. Mitchell redirected it while in front of Giguere for his fourth goal of the season.

"JR battled for the puck and got it to the point," Ozolinsh said. "It was wobbling. I threw it to the net and it hit Mitch and went in, that's all I know."

Ozolinsh made a spectacular play minutes later to preserve the tie as he reached across the crease from the left side and stopped a shot by Andy McDonald that had gotten past Nabokov.

"You know, they deserved to score," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "Because it was an absolutely bonehead play by two veteran defensemen who shouldn't make a mistake like that right after we scored a goal. We got away with one there."

Anaheim opened the scoring with 4:36 left in the first, when Getzlaf dug the puck from behind the net and sent it to Francois Beauchemin at the left point. The defenseman fired a slap shot that Chris Kunitz deflected past Nabokov's blocker from the left hash marks for his seventh tally.

Anaheim's leading scorer, Getzlaf has 11 points in his last seven games.

Nabokov stopped 28 shots for the Sharks, who outscored their opponents, 19-4, during their winning streak.

"Games against them have a playoff atmosphere," Nabokov said. "We want what they have (the Stanley Cup trophy)."