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Ducks double up reeling Wild

Dec 15, 2008 - 5:06 AM By Craig Shultz PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks received goals from four different players and handed the Minnesota Wild their fifth consecutive loss with a 4-2 triumph on Sunday.

Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Brendan Morrison and Bobby Ryan scored and defenseman Chris Pronger and Chris Kunitz notched two assists apiece for Anaheim.

Eric Belanger recorded a goal and an assist, Marc-Andre Bergeron also tallied and Benoit Pouliot set up a pair of goals for Minnesota. The setback marks the first time in franchise history that Minnesota has lost five consecutive games in regulation.

Anaheim took a 2-0 lead 6:23 into the game, but Minnesota scored twice to tie it 2:32 into the second.

"We had a great start and they got right back in the game there with a power-play goal," said Morrison, who scored the eventual game-winning tally.

"We were able to respond. These games are tough to play in against teams like Minnesota. They are disciplined in their system and a team that really feasts on turnovers. You have to make sure you get pucks deep. I thought we did a pretty good job of that tonight overall."

Morrison, who signed with Anaheim as a free agent after eight seasons in Vancouver, has struggled with his new team, coming back from injuries that cost him most of last season.

"There's no question it's nice to contribute and put up numbers. T hat's one of the reasons I was brought here," Morrison said. "Sometimes, even before results comes, it's the process. And it's knowing in your mind that you can challenge guys and get to spots. That's the way it's going the last little while."

Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said despite its current slump, Minnesota is a tough foe.

"These are tough games to play because Minnesota plays a real tight defensive game. They are a team that waits for you to turn the puck over, they transition very well, they have good specialty teams. They are always a team that you don't really get much from," Carlyle said.

"When you get an opportunity to take them out of the comfort zone, you have to seize it. We got a 2-0 lead and then we let them back in. It changed the momentum of the game. All of a sudden the pressure was all on us to get the next one and we found a way to get it."

Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire said the game was his team's best in quite some time.

"We played with more intensity. We battled for pucks and we tried hard," Lemaire said. "We could have even tied it there at the end. We hit a pipe. You could see the energy, the intensity was there. It is like I told them, I don't have a problem with this game tonight, the other games I do.

"This is a good team and they are hard to get goals against. They play a good system defensively. They've got good 'D' and they know what they're doing. We've just got to keep plugging. It was a good step for us, this game tonight. Hopefully the guys will build a little bit on this game and we'll go from there. You could sense that the guys were ready to play tonight."

Belanger was also pleased with the effort.

"At 2-2, we're in the game. They got a bounce their way and made it, 3-2. They got a big goal late in the second to make it, 4-2, but we battled," Belanger said. "Tonight we had some chances, a couple pucks hanging around the net, but we can't get the breaks right now.

"There are a lot of positives we should bring out of that game. We'll move on, get a couple of hard practices and play at home on Wednesday. There is nothing we can do right now. We just take the positive and move on."

Getzlaf opened the scoring just 98 seconds into the game, picking up a loose puck in the right circle and holding it for an instant before wristing the puck past Josh Harding.

Perry completed a nice give-and-go play to make it, 2-0. Kunitz dropped the puck back to Pronger, who returned it to Kunitz in the left circle. Kunitz then found Perry in the right circle, who beat Harding at 6:23 of the first period.

"Corey Perry has had a little dry spell, to say the least, here over the last little while. It's nice to see he was rewarded," Carlyle said. "He gets a lot of the dirty positions on the ice when you have to stand in front of the net, battle with defensemen and work those corners.

"It's not always the hardest spot to play that gets the recognition for scoring goals. You have to have that combination and he's willing to do that. That is where he makes his living."

Pronger said the Ducks hoped for a quick start.

"We wanted to get on them quickly and get that lead," Pronger said. "They're a much different team when they have the lead. They really clamp down and tighten things up defensively. Knowing that, we wanted to get that first goal and get off to a good start."

The Wild scored the next two goals to tie the game. Bergeron scored a power-play goal on a slap shot from the blue line at 12:15 of the first and Belanger beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere to the stick side off a nice pass from Pierre-Marc Bouchard at 2:23 of the second.

"They had a great start there. We just regrouped, kept working, showed some character and we tied the game 2-2," Bouchard said. "I think after that, we still tried to score some goals, but we kind of closed the game up and there wasn't much room out there after that."

Morrison put the Ducks back ahead, redirecting a shot by Todd Marchant past Harding at 6:51 of the second.

"It was almost like a turnover in the neutral zone," Morrison said. "(Pronger) was quick up to Todd on the far side. I was just driving to the net and he made a nice pass to the far post. I beat the (defenseman) to the post and was able to get a stick on it.

"The thing we were talking about before the game was 'Drive the net. Go to the net, get after some loose pucks.' That's what happened."

Then Anaheim's energy line continued its hot play, as Ryan scored with 74 seconds remaining in the session. Ryan was knocked off the puck by defenseman Kim Johnsson, who tried to clear the zone. George Parros picked off Johnsson's pass and centered the puck back to Ryan, who scored his fourth goal of the season.

"I had just come off the bench so I had the whole view of the play in front of me," Parros said. "I don't think their (defenseman) saw me when I was coming in the zone. He was trying to make an outlet pass to the guy off the boards and I was lucky enough to be there and intercept it and find Bobby in front or a one-timer."

Parros, known more for his tough play than finesse, has points in three of the last four games.

"Any time I can get our team a victory and help out, I'm definitely pleased," he said. "It's a good insurance goal for us."