Silfverberg hat trick helps Ducks defeat Devils

ANAHEIM -- Jakob Silfverberg got his first NHL hat trick, and Nick Ritchie scored his first NHL goal in the Anaheim Ducks' 7-1 win against the New Jersey Devils at Honda Center on Monday.
Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry scored for the Ducks (38-21-9), who ended a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) to get Bruce Boudreau his 200th win as Anaheim coach.
Silfverberg had an assist for his first four-point game in the NHL. His line, which typically does the defensive dirty work, needed less than 10 minutes in the second period to score four goals and combine for nine points.

"Silfverberg and Kesler and Cogliano are hard to maintain," Boudreau said. "They make it happen and they make it tough for every line they play against. To see some goals and see them finally get rewarded, instead of just being checking, checking, checking, is a really good sign."
Silfverberg, who had three goals in the previous 14 games, scored twice in 4:26 in the second period. He gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead with a one-timer from the low slot at 5:30 and a 4-1 lead at 9:56 when he tipped in a feed from Kesler.
The 25-year-old scored his third goal of the night at 7:13 of the third period with a slap shot through traffic from the top of the right faceoff circle. It was the first time an Anaheim player got the first hat trick of his NHL career since Cogliano on March 2, 2013.
"Every time something is a first, it's special," Silfverberg said. "Getting a hat trick is always something special, so I'm excited about it."

No one was more excited than Ritchie, who scored at 6:16 of the third when he beat Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid with a wrist shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. His parents had just flown in from Orangeville, Ontario, earlier in the day, making it all the more meaningful for the rookie left wing.
"At the time, it kind of seems easy when you just see it go in like that," Ritchie said. "But, obviously, it's not easy. It took a while. I'm going to remember that one."
Kinkaid was pulled after Ritchie's goal; he made 18 saves on 24 shots. Backup Yann Danis faced three shots and gave up a goal to Silfverberg.
The Ducks saw Kinkaid allowing rebounds in the first period and finally were able to capitalize early in the second. Cogliano opened the scoring 32 seconds into the period when he snuck a rebound past Kinkaid from the top of the crease.
"We have to do a little better job in front of the net," Devils defenseman Andy Greene said. "We have to be a little heavier on our sticks there, and when rebounds are out there, we have to make sure we have a man there and we're getting a stick on it so they're not getting second or third chances."
"They have some big bodies. They had a great net presence," Kinkaid said. "I have to fight more down low or over them to find these shots. They got a few rebounds right to them and put them in."

Former Ducks forward Devante Smith-Pelly tied it 37 seconds after Cogliano's goal, but Kesler put Anaheim ahead to stay with a one-timer from the edge of the right circle at 3:44.
"For the whole line, I've always said it: We're a great checking line with the skill to score goals too," Silfverberg said. "Tonight, we scored a couple. It's great for the confidence of all three of us. It was a fun night."
Perry scored his Ducks-leading 29th goal 2:20 into the third period.
Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen made 24 saves to win for the sixth time in seven starts.
The seven goals were a season-high for the Ducks, who scored six goals twice.
The Devils (33-30-7) went 2-1-0 on their California road trip.
"We would have been happy to win three out of three, but to finish it like this leaves a bad taste in your mouth," Greene said. "We have to step back and realize we did take two out of three."