(Sports Network) – Corey Perry notched his first career hat trick, scoring three goals with two assists to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 6-2 victory over Minnesota.
Perry scored in all three periods, including his first penalty shot goal in the second, and the Ducks won for the third time in four games.
Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan both had three points in the win, with Getzlaf scoring two goals and Ryan getting one. Jonas Hiller had 20 saves.
Marek Zidlicky and Brent Burns tallied for the Wild, who have dropped eight of their last 11 games. Niklas Backstrom was touched for all six goals on 36 shots.
It was the first time in four games that the Ducks avoided a shootout. They won two of the previous three games after blowing two-goal leads in the third period.
They didn’t give the lead away in this one.
Perry scored his first goal just 19 seconds into the game, netting a one-timer from in front of the net moments after Backstrom misplayed a puck from behind it.
Burns and Getzlaf also tallied in a busy 7:08 to open the game. Burns scored into a wide-open net on a one-timer from below the left circle, tying the game at 1-1, but Getzlaf gave Anaheim the lead for good with a wrister from the slot.
The Anaheim captain scored the first of three Ducks goals in the second period, rifling a slap shot past Backstrom on the power play to make it 3-1.
Minnesota also tallied on the man advantage — Zidlicky stuffed in a rebound — but the Ducks scored three unanswered goals to end the game.
Perry was awarded a penalty shot while Anaheim was shorthanded and beat Backstrom through the legs with a simple wrist shot, giving the Ducks a 4-2 lead.
Ryan beat an out-of-position Backstrom with 2:34 remaining in the second period, and Perry finished off his hat trick on a power play goal with 4:13 left in the third with a shot that was too quick for Backstrom’s glove.
Game Notes
Anaheim was 2-for-6 on the power play, while Minnesota went 1-for-4…The Wild had only four shots in the third period.