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Getzlaf leads Ducks over Stars

Nov 23, 2008 - 7:11 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- By rule, one team had to skate away with two points. Ryan Getzlaf made sure the Anaheim Ducks were that club.

Getzlaf scored the decisive goal in the third round of the shootout, lifting the Ducks to a 2-1 triumph over the Dallas Stars on Saturday in a battle between struggling Pacific Division rivals.

Corey Perry tallied in regulation and Jonas Hiller made 31 saves for the Ducks, who won for just the second time in their last seven games (2-3-2).

Loui Eriksson scored and Marty Turco turned aside 23 shots for Dallas, which has lost three straight at home and fell to 1-3-2 in its last six overall. However, the Stars were not entirely disappointed with the setback.

"I think we responded really well," Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas said. "We're not quite there yet, but it's a step in the right direction. ... We played tight and played a smart game. That's how we've got to play to be successful."

"The way things have been going, it goes without saying that there were some positives tonight," Turco added. "We are emphasizing the little things, and it's nice to get the point, but we really wanted the win."

Anaheim got off to a good start, converting an early power play to grab the lead. With Dallas instigator Sean Avery serving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Perry fired a shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle that beat Turco high to the glove side at 5:37 of the first period for his seventh goal of the season and a 1-0 edge.

"I thought the first goal, the only goal, was a bad goal," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "(Turco) had a lot of flurries around him. I think our team did a better job of eliminating opportunities around him."

For the second straight night, the Ducks also got physical in the opening session. After engaging in three fights in the initial 10 minutes of Friday's 3-2 overtime loss at St. Louis, Anaheim again was involved in a trio of bouts in the first period of this one.

But just like in Friday's game, the attempt to intimidate did not work. Midway through the second session, Stars defenseman Trevor Daley led a 2-on-1 rush up the left wing and passed to Eriksson, who tipped the puck past Hiller from in front of the net at 10:09 for his third tally in as many contests.

"I found a loose puck, got it to the net and Loui buried it," Daley said. "I wish it would've been enough, though."

"I'm just trying to play my game," said Eriksson, who leads the Stars with nine tallies. "I'm feeling good out there, trying to play simple. It was good to get that goal. Once again, Daley made a great pass."

The Ducks thought they regained the lead with 4:59 remaining in the second, when Perry fired the puck past Turco from the doorstep. But the goal was waved off as Turco inadvertently knocked the net off its moorings before the puck went in.

"I think that rule should be discretionary, in my mind," Turco said. "But we've been on the wrong side of technicalities, so (to heck with) it."

"I don't know about moving the net," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "It's not in the rules. It's kind of weird - the goaltender can move with his foot and wind up wiping out our goal."

Neither team was able to surge ahead, sending the game to the shootout. Brad Richards fired a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net on Dallas' first attempt, but Perry answered on Anaheim's initial chance, slipping the puck between Turco's pads.

Hiller and Turco both made saves in the second round, and the Ducks' Swiss netminder denied Mike Ribeiro in the third round after a fantastic puckhandling display that saw him put the puck and stick between his skates and back again before shooting. But Getzlaf wrapped up the bonus format by firing the puck inside the right goalpost on Anaheim's third-round attempt.

"After I shot it, I didn't see it, I heard the ping," Getzlaf said. "You don't get much reaction (from the crowd) on the road, so I didn't realize it went in until I saw the bench react. ... I know Marty likes to come out a long way. My mental state was that I wanted to slow it down, take my time and get him off his game."

While happy with the victory, the Ducks were especially pleased with their success on the penalty kill. Anaheim held Dallas without a goal on seven power-play opportunities.

"We've had lots of opportunities to kill penalties," Carlyle said. "I think we're something like minus-35 points in power plays, relative to the other teams."

"We didn't take advantage of our opportunities," Tippett said.