Getzlaf, Perry Lead Ducks to 3-2 Victory over Sharks

Led by their biggest names, the Ducks (10-8-4, 24 pts.) came out of SAP Center with a resilient 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks (12-9-1, 25 pts.) on Saturday night. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each had multi-point efforts to snap Anaheim's three-game losing streak. Getzlaf's power-play goal - just his second goal of the season - ended a 15-game drought, while Perry's two assists gave him three points (all assists) in his past three games. Ryan Garbutt opened the scoring for Anaheim and Rickard Rakell scored his eighth goal of the season, while goaltender Jonathan Bernier turned aside 21 shots in the win to improve his record to 4-1-1 in nine appearances.

"It was a big game for us," said Perry. "You get down 1-0 in this building … it's a tough building to climb back in. It was a huge goal by Garbutt to get us going. We just fed off of that."
Logan Couture and Dylan DeMelo scored for the Sharks, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Martin Jones had 23 saves in the loss and fell to 10-8-1 in 19 games.
The Sharks opened the scoring with 8:40 remaining in the first period when Couture's snap shot from the right circle beat Bernier over the shoulder for his seventh goal of the season. The goal came on San Jose's second power play of the period, the first coming just 55 seconds into the game when Perry went off for interference.
Garbutt, who had been Anaheim's best player through the first half of the period, evened the score, but not before a lengthy video review. The veteran forward (playing in his 300th career NHL game) crashed into Jones after being pushed from behind by a hard-charging Brent Burns. Garbutt's momentum barreled him into the Sharks goaltender, which knocked the net off its moorings, but it was determined that the puck had crossed the line before the net came off. Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer challenged the call, but the call on the ice stood - thus burning San Jose's lone timeout.

"We need that," said Andrew Cogliano, on Garbutt's goal. "We need guys to contribute. It's good for him. He worked hard for it, and he deserved it."
Less than four minutes later, Rakell tallied his eighth goal of the season on a backhander that snuck past Jones. The play started when Cam Fowler entered the zone with speed after accepting a pass in the neutral zone. After backing off the Sharks defense, the smooth-skating defenseman fed it to Rakell at the right point, who went cross-ice to Getzlaf. With time and space, the captain threw it into the slot and off Perry's skate where it eventually came to rest in front of Anaheim's most consistent forward, who tallied his fourth goal in his past five games.

DeMelo tied the game midway through the second period on a slap shot from the right point that beat Bernier over his left shoulder. The goal was a product of an impressive shift that kept the Ducks hemmed in their own zone for over a minute.
The Ducks regained the lead at the 12:59 mark of the second period on a power-play goal from Getzlaf, who was left all alone in front of Jones. It marked just the second goal of the season for Getzlaf, who threw his arms into the air in celebration after sending a wrist shot into the top right portion of the net. Ryan Kesler was credited with the primary assist after sending a crisp pass from the corner into the slot for his eighth helper and 16th point of the season.

Anaheim locked it down in the third period due in large part to the work of Bernier, who came up with several key saves through the final 20 minutes. The Ducks improved to 8-0-0 when leading after two periods, while San Jose remained winless (0-7-1) when faced with a deficit after 40 minutes.
The Ducks will return home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at Honda Center.
"It doesn't get easier," said Cogliano. "We have a tough schedule, but we'll be ready. This was a big win for us. We needed to get off this little losing streak. It was good to get a win."