Ducks top Blackhawks, move into third in Pacific

ANAHEIM -- The Anaheim Ducks moved into third place in the Pacific Division with a 6-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Honda Center on Sunday.
Jakob Silfverberg and Corey Perry each scored two goals and Ryan Getzlaf had three assists for Anaheim (33-21-12, 78 points), which moved one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.

Rickard Rakell scored his fifth goal in three games, Marcus Pettersson scored his first NHL goal and Derek Grant and Andrew Cogliano each had two assists for the Ducks. John Gibson made 37 saves.
\[WATCH: All Blackhawks vs. Ducks highlights\]
"We had to have energy and we showed we had it early," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It was nice to see we got contributions spread throughout the lineup."
Nick Schmaltz scored two goals, Vinnie Hinostroza had two assists and Tomas Jurco also scored for the Blackhawks (28-30-8, 64 points). Anton Forsberg started for the second straight day and was replaced by J-F Berube (six saves) after allowing four goals on 23 shots.
Getzlaf returned after missing a 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday because of the flu and assisted on two goals in the first period. He worked a give-and-go with Rakell on a power play to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead at 2:23.

Perry made it 2-0 at 6:14 when he took a pass from Getzlaf while skating down the right side in the Blackhawks zone, cut toward the net and pulled up when Jordan Oesterle blocked his path. Perry then completed a 360-degree spin in front of the crease before shooting the puck past Forsberg.
"It's huge," Perry said of the early lead. "When you get an early power play, you want to move the puck around, everyone to feel it, and I thought we did a great job of that. ... Those are the things that show that you're ready to play a hockey game, and we were ready at the start."
Pettersson, playing in his eighth NHL game, shot through traffic and scored over Forsberg's right shoulder for a 3-0 lead at 2:09 of the second period.
"Joy. Just complete joy," Pettersson said of his first NHL goal. "It was a great game, fun time to score your first."
Anaheim made it 4-0 at 6:39 when Cogliano's pass from behind the net got through to Silfverberg in the slot, where he scored on a one-timer.

"We had a good stretch for about 10 minutes in the second period," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Other than that, whether it was gap or puck possession, or puck management from the back end, I think as a group, it's not good enough. I think the other team is in the playoff mode."
Jurco deflected a shot from Connor Murphy and scored on a delayed penalty at 14:59 of the second to make it 4-1.
Schmaltz made it 4-2 at 1:07 of the third period, but Silfverberg (7:00) and Perry (14:41) helped restore Anaheim's four-goal lead with goals from right in front of the net.
"If you look at where the goals are being scored from in the League now, we're doing a much better job getting people towards the net," Carlyle said.
Schmaltz's 20th of the season made it 6-3 at 17:32 of the third.

Goal of the game

Perry's goal at 6:14 of the first period.

Save of the game

Gibson's save against Matthew Highmore at 14:38 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Pettersson's goal at 2:09 of the second period.

They said it

"We have some good stretches where we play pretty good, but then [there's] a little breakdown or something that's in the back of the net. It seems like every little mistake we make is costing us." -- Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith
"We've had a few guys, me included, that haven't been able to find the back of the net consistently. Hopefully, this gets me going. We need everyone, especially at this time of the year." -- Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg

Need to know

Chicago is 3-9-1 in the second of back-to-back games this season. … Schmaltz has five points (four goals, one assist) in the past five games. … Hinostroza has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his past nine games. … Perry has six points (two goals, four assists) in a three-game point streak. … Getzlaf has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past five games. … Anaheim went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and has killed 31 of 32 penalties since Feb. 9, including 22 straight. … The Ducks are 10-1-2 at Honda Center since Dec. 29.

What's next

Blackhawks: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; WGN, ALT, NHL.TV)
Ducks: Host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSWA, NHL.TV)