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Getzlaf's third-period goal pushes Ducks past Canucks

Dec 1, 2006 - 5:56 AM VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- Ryan Getzlaf, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and the Anaheim Ducks once again showed why they have the most points in the NHL.

Getzlaf snapped a tie in the latter stages of the third period and Giguere made 23 saves to lead the Ducks to a 2-1 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks.

With the win, the Ducks improved to 19-2-6 for 44 points, four more than the Eastern Conference-leading Buffalo Sabres. Anaheim is 6-0-1 in its last seven games.

Getzlaf netted the decisive goal during a 5-on-3 power play that was created when Roberto Luongo shot the puck over the glass with defenseman Kevin Bieksa already in the penalty box.

"It's a tough break," Luongo said of his infraction. "When I went to shoot it, the puck rolled a bit on me and it went over the glass. There's no way I can get it that high in a normal situation, so it's a tough break.

Getzlaf one-timed a pass from blue-liner Scott Niedermayer past the goaltender from the top of the left faceoff circle with 7:34 remaining.

"It was a nice play by Niedermayer," Getzlaf said. "Obviously, he set up the whole play and they kind of respect (defenseman Chris Pronger) on the back end there quite a bit, and it opened up a little space for me."

It was the second straight game-winner for Getzlaf, who has 11 goals this season. The center tallied 2:19 into overtime on Tuesday to give Anaheim a 3-2 victory over Edmonton. "It's good to get rolling a little bit now and find that groove," he said. "It's nice to contribute when I can in the third period like that."

The 19th overall selection in the 2003 draft, Getzlaf has now scored in three consecutive games.

"Obviously, I've got to contribute as much as I can with the minutes that we're getting, and power plays are a big part of my game and has been for the last year," he said. "That's where I get a lot of my minutes, and I've got to capitalize on it."

The Ducks took a 1-0 lead at 9:45 of the first, when defenseman Sean O'Donnell fed Andy McDonald, who put a shot between Luongo's pads from a sharp angle down low.

"We wanted to come out of the first at least tied, and we did that," Giguere said. "It was very important for us. And after that, we played very well. We played our game, we forechecked."

However, Vancouver forged a tie at 8:22 of the third on Alexander Edler's first career goal. The rookie blue-liner took a slap shot from just inside the blue line that went past the glove of Giguere, who was screened by Daniel Sedin.

Luongo recorded 28 saves for the Canucks, who have lost three of their last four games.

Anaheim has outscored Vancouver, 8-1, in two meetings this season. The Ducks also have won six straight at General Motors Place, outscoring the Canucks, 19-6, during that span.

One of the reasons for the Canucks' struggles this season has been a lack of offensive prowess. Vancouver entered with an average of 2.20 goals-per-game, ranking 28th in the league.

"It's frustrating, there's no doubt about it," said Vancouver captain Markus Naslund, who has seven points in his last eight games. "It's one thing if the effort hasn't been there all year, but the effort is there and we still get one or two (goals). It's tough because you're looking for ways to turn it around and small things that can make a difference."