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Selanne's third-period tally gives Ducks important win

Feb 27, 2007 - 7:25 AM SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Once again, Teemu Selanne was the difference for the Anaheim Ducks.

Selanne scored at 8:19 of the third period to snap a tie and give the Ducks to a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks in a Pacific Division showdown.

The goal was the ninth game-winner of the season for Selanne, tying him with San Jose captain Patrick Marleau for second in the NHL, one behind Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg.

"Obviously in the third period they had all kinds of chances, and for sure we feel a little lucky to get this one, but we'll take it," Selanne said. "We've lost so many games like this - and it's frustrating - so it's good to get one back."

Selanne recorded his career high in game-winners during his first stint with the Ducks, netting 10 in the 1997-98 campaign.

Ilya Bryzgalov made a season-high 40 saves for the first-place Ducks, who improved to 4-1-2 in their last seven contests. With the win, Anaheim (37-17-10) moved seven points ahead of San Jose (38-24-1) in the Pacific.

Anaheim leads the season series, 4-2-0. The clubs meet again in San Jose on Friday and in Anaheim on April 4.

"We know the race is tightened up," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "And, we knew we'd have to win our share of games to continue to have the status we have."

After Dustin Penner gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead with goals 6 1/2 minutes apart in the first period, Milan Michalek answered with a pair of second-period tallies for the Sharks. The two-goal efforts were the second of the season and third career for both players.

"We scored two goals and the momentum was on our side, and then we had other chances but we couldn't score," Michalek said. "Because they played last night, we tried to wear them down. We had a lot of chances with rebounds, but we couldn't get it in."

Selanne got in on the fun in the third, joining Chris Kunitz for a 2-on-1 rush. After cutting to the net, the Finn redirected Kunitz's pass past goaltender Evgeni Nabokov for a 3-2 lead. The goal came on the first of only two shots in the period by the Ducks.

"You just know he (Selanne) is going to be there," Kunitz said. "You know he's got that extra speed any time he gives you the puck and jumps by the guy. They're going to pull him down, there's going to be a penalty or he's going to get the pass, so it works out perfect."

It also was Selanne's 38th goal of the season, tying him with Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis for second in the league. Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier leads the NHL with 41 tallies.

Selanne has 44 goals and 85 points in 59 career games against the Sharks.

Ryan Getzlaf set up both goals for Anaheim, which was outshot, 42-19.

Reigning Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner Joe Thornton had two assists for San Jose, which fell to 2-5-0 in its last seven contests.

"I thought we played great defensively but Bryzgalov played great," Thornton said. "It was unfortunate we didn't get the win tonight, but it was a good effort by everybody. Usually when you come home off a long road trip, there's a down period, and it didn't seem like it off the faceoff."

Thornton has two goals and 15 assists in his last 13 contests. The center has a goal and eight assists in six games against Anaheim.

Bryzgalov, who made 26 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks on February 7, snapped a four-game losing streak.

"I was happy with tonight," Bryzgalov said. "I didn't watch the stats to see how many shots I faced tonight. San Jose tried to put lots of pressure, so most of the time was spent in our zone. I felt pretty good and I think the team has felt pretty good too, not making a lot of big mistakes and we finished successfully."