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Perry, Getzlaf help Ducks overcome loss of Pronger

Jan 18, 2008 - 6:04 AM NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks extended their winning streak despite losing their captain.

Brandon Bochenski and Corey Perry tallied and Ryan Getzlaf added two assists as the Ducks overcame the loss of defenseman Chris Pronger and posted a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Pronger suffered a left knee contusion early in the first period while blocking a shot by Nashville blue-liner Shea Weber and did not return, seeing just 3 minutes, 42 seconds of action on five shifts. But the injury did not deter Anaheim, which won its season-high fifth consecutive game and improved to 11-2-2 since the return of defenseman Scott Niedermayer.

"What we can get out of this game is that we found a way to win," Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "Good teams tend to do that, and at the end of the day, all that matters is the two points."

Bochenski opened the scoring at 15:12 of the first period with his second goal of the season. With the Ducks on the power play, defenseman Mathieu Schneider fired a slap shot from above the slot that Bochenski redirected between the pads of goaltender Chris Mason from in front.

Prior to the goal, Predators center Jerred Smithson had his stick broken, leaving his team at an even bigger disadvantage.

"They had a guy lose a stick, so it was almost like a 5-on-3," Bochenski said. "(Schneider) made the pass or shot right to me, and I got it through."

"If you are trying to block a slap shot and it hits your stick, there's not much you can do," Mason said of Smithson's misfortune. "Especially on the penalty kill, because it almost turns into a 5-on-3."

After a scoreless second session, Perry doubled the lead 7 1/2 minutes into the third.

Getzlaf completed a pass to Perry in the neutral zone, and the 22-year-old right wing skated past a defender and in alone on Mason before tucking the puck around the netminder at 7:26 for his team-leading 25th goal of the campaign.

"We knew we couldn't sit back with the one-goal lead, and Getz made a great pass," Perry said. "We knew the next goal was going to be huge, and we found a way to get it. It was a huge goal for us."

The tally was indeed huge as Nashville captain Jason Arnott blasted a one-timer from the left faceoff dot past Giguere with 4:36 remaining in the third, halving the deficit.

J.P. Dumont recorded an assist on the play, extending his points streak to 10 games.

Giguere made 33 saves for the Ducks, who ended a three-game road skid.

"I saw the puck pretty well tonight," Giguere said. "The guys took away the traffic and the rebounds."

"He gave us a chance to win, and that's all you can really ask for," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said of his netminder. "He made some key stops at some key times and was pretty solid for us."

Mason turned aside 14 shots for Nashville, which fell to 3-1-1 in its last five home contests.

"I thought we played well tonight, and it showed in the shot total," said Predators coach Barry Trotz, whose club held a 34-16 advantage in that category. "They converted a lot of plays and we were not able to stop them, but it ended up being just a one-goal loss."

Mason credited Anaheim's all-around talent.

"They are good in every area," he said. "They are big, they are fast and all of their defensemen are great skaters."