Jonas Hiller stopped 22 shots, and Peter Holland and Sheldon Souray scored as the Ducks extended their franchise-record home winning streak to 13 games in dramatic fashion.

Anaheim (22-3-4) pulled within three points of Chicago atop the overall NHL standings by dealing the Blackhawks just their third regulation loss of the season.

Nick Leddy scored a power-play goal and captain Jonathan Toews scored an early short-handed goal for the Blackhawks (24-3-3), who lost in regulation after entering the third period with a lead for the first time in 19 games this season.

The largest crowd in Honda Center history was packed with boisterous fans of both teams for a prominent game in this lockout-shortened year. Two clubs with a points percentage above .800 had never met this late in an NHL season, and they lived up to their pedigrees in a fast-paced game showcasing their skill and tenacity.

Corey Crawford made 22 saves for the Blackhawks, who appeared to be headed for a 2-1 road victory until Anaheim scored three times in stunning fashion. Getzlaf first fed Ryan on a rush for the tying goal with 5:27 to play, and the Anaheim captain then set up the 42-year-old Selanne for his 670th career goal with 4:23 left.

Souray added an empty-net goal in the final minute for Anaheim, which has earned points in 12 straight games (9-0-3).

Chicago has earned 51 of a possible 60 points in its first 30 games this season, but Anaheim is responsible for a third of those missed points after this win and a 3-2 shootout victory at the United Center last month. The Ducks and Blackhawks finish their regular-season series March 29 in Chicago.

With a brilliant start to the year after missing last season’s playoffs, Anaheim would be the talk of the NHL if not for Chicago’s astonishing start of its own. Getzlaf, Selanne and the Ducks held the NHL record with a 16-game points streak to start the season in 2006-07 until Chicago obliterated it this year.

Both teams played this showdown without key offensive components. Right wing Corey Perry, who scored Anaheim’s shootout winner in Chicago last month, sat out the final game of his four-game suspension for an illegal hit, while Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa is sidelined with an upper-body injury from Monday’s win at Colorado. Chicago’s Patrick Sharp also missed his sixth game with an apparent shoulder injury.

Just 84 seconds into the first period, Holland alertly collected the rebound of Luca Sbisa’s shot off the back boards and beat Crawford for his second goal in two games. Anaheim went on the power play shortly afterward, but Toews blocked Souray’s big shot and outskated three Ducks for the rebound, beating Hiller with a sharp move for his 15th goal.

Leddy put the Blackhawks ahead on his 22nd birthday during a power play midway through the second period, firing a long slap shot through Viktor Stalberg’s screen into a sliver of open net.

The Blackhawks appeared to extend their lead when Brandon Bollig scored in front of Hiller with 14:03 to play, but video review confirmed Bollig kicked the puck into the net with his right skate.

Anaheim finally broke through when Getzlaf brought the puck down the wing and fed it in front to Ryan, who banged it through Kyle Palmieri’s screen for his ninth goal. Moments later, Selanne ended a nine-game goal drought with a slick shot in close.

Viktor Fasth made 32 saves for the streaking Ducks, who have the NHL’s second-best record at 21-3-4 while earning a point in 11 straight games.

Captain Ryan Getzlaf had a short-handed goal and an assist, while Peter Holland and Etem scored 34 seconds apart in the second period to keep the Ducks unbeaten at Honda Center since their opener Jan. 25.

Jason Demers scored his first NHL goal and Antti Niemi stopped 23 shots for the Sharks, who have lost six of seven. Matt Irwin and Patrick Marleau scored after Anaheim took a 4-1 lead to make it close.
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The Ducks announced the deal after the first period of their game against the San Jose Sharks.

Perry’s new deal is the same length as the extension signed by captain Ryan Getzlaf earlier this month. Just 10 days after Anaheim signed Getzlaf to an eight-year, $66 million extension, Ducks owner Henry Samueli signed another enormous check for Perry, the goal-scoring beneficiary of Getzlaf’s play-making.

Perry and Getzlaf came into the NHL together and have played on the same line for nearly every game of their careers, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007 and earning Olympic gold medals for Canada together in 2010.

“Staying in Anaheim has always been my first choice,” Perry said. “This is a great place to play, and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to remain here. I want to thank to the Samuelis and the entire Ducks organization for their belief in me. I’m pleased to have this done so our focus can remain on our ultimate goal — bringing another Stanley Cup to Orange County.”

Perry’s new deal should be a major boost to the Ducks, who have the NHL’s second-best record during a 20-3-4 start to the season. Perry’s impending unrestricted free agency could have forced Anaheim to consider trading its top goal-scorer to avoid losing him for nothing, but the Ducks now have their two top scorers signed for the foreseeable future.

Perry was named league MVP in 2011, when he won the Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal-scorer with his first 50-goal season. The physical forward has 453 points in 555 games with the Ducks.

“We are excited that Corey has committed to us for the next eight years,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. “Similar to the case with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey wanted to stay in Anaheim and be part of our organization long-term. He is an exceptional player who competes with heart and soul and has won at every level.”

Perry wasn’t in uniform for the Ducks on Monday night while he served the third game of a four-game suspension for an illegal hit on Minnesota’s Jason Zucker. Perry is the Ducks’ second-leading scorer this season with 24 points in 25 games, including nine goals.

He set career highs with 50 goals and 98 points during his MVP season, but Perry has been a remarkably consistent NHL scorer since his debut during the 2005-06 season. He has scored at least 27 goals in each of the past five seasons, getting at least 60 points in each of the past four.

Perry and Getzlaf were drafted together in the first round in 2003. Perry, a three-time All-Star, is the third-leading goal-scorer in Ducks franchise history and fourth in scoring, trailing only Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya and Getzlaf.

Perry has scored 96 goals since the start of the 2010-11 NHL season, second only to Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos’ 126 during that time.

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The 6-foot-6 Steckel has scored 73 points in 398 games over eight NHL seasons with Washington, New Jersey and the Maple Leafs. He played for the Capitals and the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs under Bruce Boudreau, now the Ducks’ coach.

Steckel’s consistent excellence on faceoffs and penalty killing should fill two areas of need for streaking Anaheim, which has the NHL’s second-best record at 20-3-3 after winning five straight games.

“Adding David Steckel gives us another big body and depth up the middle,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. “He comes highly recommended from Bruce. Faceoffs have been something of a concern for us the last few seasons. Steckel is a tremendous faceoff man and penalty killer, something that will really help our club.”

Steckel was the Los Angeles Kings’ first-round pick in 2001.

The Maple Leafs needed to clear a roster spot with Joffrey Lupul returning from a broken right arm, and Steckel had just one assist in 13 games this season. Toronto acquired Steckel from the Devils in October 2011.

Lasch played 19 games for the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in Norfolk this season. The California native most recently played for Vaxjo in the Swedish Elite League.

After acquiring Steckel, the Ducks reassigned left wing Patrick Maroon to Norfolk. He has two goals in 11 games for Anaheim this season.

Anaheim also reassigned goalie Jeff Deslauriers to Fort Wayne of the ECHL on Friday, indicating Viktor Fasth is ready to return from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for the past two games.

In Fasth’s absence, Jonas Hiller has backstopped the Ducks to consecutive 2-1 victories at Minnesota and Dallas on the first two stops of their three-game road trip.

Anaheim has earned points in nine straight games heading into its road finale Saturday in St. Louis. The Ducks have a 13-point lead over Los Angeles and San Jose in the Pacific Division standings with 22 games left in the regular season, and they trail Chicago (22-2-3) by just four points with a game in hand for the NHL’s best record.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry has been suspended for four games without pay by the NHL for a high, late check on Minnesota’s Jason Zucker.

The punishment was announced by the league on Wednesday.

Zucker was leveled by a violent hit from Perry in the second period nearly a full second after he passed the puck in Tuesday’s 2-1 win by the Ducks.

Perry received a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct. Perry hit Zucker in the head with his elbow as they collided, and Zucker was down for several minutes before slowly leaving the ice. He didn’t return to the game.

Perry received a four-game suspension four years ago for elbowing Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux.

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Bobby Ryan tied it early in the third and Andrew Cogliano had a short-handed goal, helping the Ducks improve the NHL’s second-best record to 18-3-3. Anaheim, 15-2-2 in its last 19 games, hasn’t lost at home since the opener against Vancouver.

Patrik Berglund had a power-play goal, Ryan Reaves also scored, and Jaroslav Halak made 17 saves for the Blues, who have lost six straight in Anaheim and 10 of 11 there.

Ryan was sent off for tripping Roman Polak at 1:17 of the third, and the Blues grabbed a 2-1 lead on the ensuing power play. Berglund used defenseman Toni Lydman as a screen to beat Hiller 24 seconds later.

Ryan redeemed himself when he jumped on a loose puck in front and whipped in his eighth goal of the season. Francois Beauchemin earned one of his three assists on the goal.

Polak was off for tripping Saku Koivu when Perry parked himself at the right of the crease, and Ryan Getzlaf’s screened wrist shot from the top of the right circle glanced off him and past Halak for his fifth game-winner this season.

In a game featuring teams that came in with the NHL’s top two power-play units, the league-leading Ducks were 1 for 7. St. Louis was 1 for 3 and surrendered a short-handed goal for the fourth time this season.

Shortly after coming up empty on a two-man advantage, the Ducks tied it 1-1 at 8:24 of the second period with a power-play goal.

Coming off consecutive shutout wins for the fifth time in franchise history, the Ducks fell behind 1-0 at 6:09 of the first when Reaves redirected Wade Redden’s wrist shot from the left point past Hiller’s stick for his first of the season.

Redden’s assist was the fourth point in 15 games for the two-time All-Star defenseman.

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Bobby Ryan and defenseman Sheldon Souray scored less than 2 1-2 minutes apart in the second period for Anaheim, who have won 16 straight at home against Calgary.

Ryan, shaken up during the opening period when he slid into the end boards unchecked behind the Calgary net, made it 2-0 . Corey Perry set up the play from behind the net after getting the puck from Ryan Getzlaf, who notched his 500th NHL point on the same day he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract extension.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — For Oliver Ekman-Larsson and the Phoenix Coyotes, the encore was as productive as the original.

Ekman-Larsson scored in the fifth round of the shootout and Mike Smith stopped Bobby Ryan to help the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 on Monday night, their second shootout win over the Pacific Division leaders in 48 hours.

“It’s nice to win when you don’t play very good,” said Ekman-Larsson, who put the puck into the crook of his stick before firing over Jonas Hiller’s right shoulder. “But we’ll take the two points for sure.”

Andrew Vermette, Shane Doan, Michael Stone and Keith Yandle scored for the Coyotes in regulation. Phoenix also beat the Ducks by a 5-4 score in a shootout Saturday night.

The consecutive wins have moved the Coyotes from 10th in the Western Conference to fourth and pulled Phoenix within eight points of Anaheim.

Steve Sullivan also scored in the shootout for Phoenix, which has won three of four.

“We’ll take the points,” said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. “They’re tight games. They (the Ducks) don’t need many chances to score or look very dangerous. They’ve proven to be one of the top teams in the league.”

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal, two assists and scored in the shootout, and Ryan, Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey scored for the Ducks, who have lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

“It better not be catching up to us because we have more than half the season to go,” said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau. “We’re putting out guys who should be able to play and should be able to defend. It’s not acceptable. If we want to be a good team, we’ve got to do this.”

The teams traded four goals over a six-minute stretch of the third period.

Perry had given the Ducks a 3-2 lead early in the period when he redirected Getzlaf’s shot from the left circle past Smith. But Doan answered 11 seconds later, taking a pass from Kyle Chipchura and beating Hiller from just inside the right circle.

“I like our ability that when it goes in the net, we can claw back a bit,” Tippett said.

Ryan put Anaheim back in front off a pass from Nick Bonino after Rostislav Klesla bounced an attempted clear off Andrew Cogliano to Smith’s left.

Again the Coyotes answered quickly, with Stone blasting a shot between Hiller’s pads from the left point 78 seconds later. Originally, the goal was awarded to Matthew Lombardi.

“Two or three of the goals were bad goals and you want to get them back,” Hiller said. “These things find a way through even though you think you’re there and playing big.”

Chipchura had the best opportunity in overtime, skating behind the Ducks’ defense to take a long outlet pass with just over a minute left. Hiller made the pad save.

Beleskey opened the scoring midway in the first period, slipping a shot between Smith’s pads. Vermette tied the game 54 seconds into the second, putting home a long rebound off Hiller’s left pad into the vacated left side of the net from the top of the crease.

Phoenix took its first lead on Yandle’s blast from the top of the left circle. Getzlaf evened the score 2-2 with 7.8 seconds to go in the second period, taking a pass from Perry after the right wing stole the puck from Yandle in the neutral zone.

Hiller made 36 saves, while Smith finished with 27.

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Lauri Korpikoski scored twice, Matthew Lombardi added a goal, and Mike Smith stopped 31 shots through overtime and then all three shootout attempts for the Coyotes, who won for the second time in three games.

Andrew Cogliano had three goals for his second NHL hat trick, and Saku Koivu added a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who lost for just the fifth time in 20 games.

The teams were playing the first of three consecutive games against each other.

The Ducks spent the final 1:58 of overtime on their third power play, but they were turned away by Smith. In the shootout, Smith stopped Nick Bonino, Corey Perry and Koivu.

Cogliano opened the scoring 21 seconds in, taking a pass from Koivu from behind the net and scoring on a one-timer from the top left edge of the crease.

Lombardi tied it at 10:30, corralling Raffi Torres‘ wide shot off the back boards and bouncing the puck off goalie Viktor Fasth‘s chest.

Korpikoski made it 2-1 at 12:32 of the period when Fasth missed the puck with his glove on a shot from the top of the left circle, but Cogliano answered 27 seconds later to tie it again.

Cogliano completed his hat trick at 17:26 of the second after Daniel Winnik muscled Derek Morris off the puck and backhanded a pass to the low slot.

Korpikoski pulled the Coyotes even at 3 just 16 seconds into the third period off a long pass from Antoine Vermette after the Coyotes center stole the puck from Ben Lovejoy.

Cogliano helped draw a goaltender interference call against Kyle Chipchura with a subtle one-handed push to Chipchura’s back just outside the crease.

Koivu took a pass from Bobby Ryan between the circles and beat Smith with 3 seconds left in Chipchura’s penalty to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead.

NOTES: Anaheim was called for one penalty, a coincidental roughing minor on Koivu. . Cogliano’s other hat trick was February 1, 2012, also in Glendale against the Coyotes. . Ducks C Kyle Palmieri left the game late in the first period because of an upper body injury and didn’t return. . Coyotes captain Shane Doan assisted on Lombardi’s goal, giving him 29 goals and 36 assists in a team-leading 89 career games against Anaheim. . Lombardi’s goal was the 99th of his career. . Phoenix has played three straight against one team one other time, facing San Jose three times in six days. Anaheim, which never has played three consecutive games against the same team, will do it again in April against Dallas in a five-day span. . Anaheim D Sheldon Souray returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in the Ducks’ 3-2 win over Minnesota on Friday.

Nick Bonino and Saku Koivu also scored for Anaheim. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf assisted on all three goals by Palmieri, who hadn’t scored since netting back-to-back game-winners on Feb. 1-2 against Minnesota and Los Angeles.

Palmieri completed his outburst against Pekka Rinne 1:07 into the second period, during a power play after Nashville had too many men on the ice.

It was the sixth natural hat trick in club history and marked the third career multigoal game for the 22-year-old forward, selected by the Ducks in the first round of the 2009 draft.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Slava Voynov scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 Monday night for their fourth consecutive victory while snapping the Ducks’ six-game winning streak.

Dustin Brown added a goal and his 200th career assist, and Anze Kopitar had three assists to help the Kings win for the sixth time in seven games. Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who had come from behind in all six of their recent wins, twice owned one-goal leads, but fell short of tying the franchise record for consecutive victories. They had won 10 of 11.

Their 30-year-old rookie, Viktor Fasth, made 20 saves in the loss after winning his first eight NHL games, the longest streak in the league this season.

The Kings broke a 2-2 tie 4:46 into the third period. Voynov’s first goal of the season came on a shot from the right side that struck Fasth and trickled through his legs. Kopitar and Brown got the assists.

With Sheldon Souray sent off for slashing, Jake Muzzin struck 15 seconds into the penalty, beating Fasth glove-side to make it 4-2 at 6:23. Kopitar and Voynov assisted.

Brown had a chance to extend the Kings’ lead with 2:33 to play on a penalty shot. He was on a breakaway when he got pulled down from behind by Ben Lovejoy. But Fasth forced Brown wide right and he missed, making him 1 for 3 on such shots in his career.

Jeff Carter made up for it by scoring with 20 seconds left.

The Kings twice rallied from one-goal deficits in the second to tie the game.

Brown made it 2-2 on his shot from center ice that sailed over Fasth’s head, hit the crossbar and bounced in at 17:53. Dustin Penner tied it 1-1 with his first goal of the season on a tip-in off a pinpoint pass from Jarret Stoll at 3:16. Stoll also earned his 200th career assist.

The Ducks led 1-0 on Andrew Cogliano’s goal off a rebound that got under Fasth’s glove 13 seconds into the second. They took a 2-1 lead on Saku Koivu’s power-play goal at 5:51. Rob Scuderi swept away a rebound in front of the net that went to Koivu, who scored his fifth goal.

The Kings outshot the Ducks 10-7 in a scoreless first.

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Fasth earned a new contract after just nine unbeaten appearances with the Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who have the NHL’s second-best record at 12-2-1. He’ll make $2.4 million next season and $3.4 million in 2014-15.

“You always try to do your best and play your best, try to help the team as much as you can,” Fasth said in a phone interview. “That’s what I’ve been trying to focus on, and that’s what I have to keep doing, to do my part.”

The Ducks signed the 30-year-old Fasth to be Jonas Hiller‘s backup last summer after a stellar pro career in his native Sweden, outbidding other NHL teams with a $1 million, one-year contract.

With Hiller slowed by a lower-body injury, Fasth has been largely outstanding in his place, making nine appearances with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage while tying for the league lead in victories.

Fasth is just the third goalie in NHL history to win his first eight decisions, joining Ray Emery and Bob Froese. He’s one win away from matching Emery’s record 9-0-0 start to his career with Ottawa.

He’s also playing a major role in the outstanding start by the Ducks, who have missed the playoffs in two of the last three years. Anaheim, currently on a five-day break between games, has won five straight while rising to second place in the Western Conference behind Chicago.

“Viktor has proven himself not only this year in the NHL, but the previous two seasons as the top goaltender in Sweden,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. “We are pleased to be able to keep him and feel fortunate to have two top NHL goaltenders going forward.”

Anaheim relied heavily last season on Hiller, who set a club record with an NHL-high 73 starts. The Ducks were determined not to wear down their former All-Star from Switzerland, and Fasth has provided coach Bruce Boudreau with two outstanding options.

Fasth won a shootout against Nashville in his NHL debut on Jan. 26, and he posted his first shutout at Colorado on Feb. 6.

Hiller outplayed longtime Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere to claim the Anaheim starting job during the 2008-09 season, but Hiller hasn’t lost his own starting job to Fasth quite yet. Hiller made 25 saves against Columbus on Monday night for his first victory in 18 days.

When asked if he considered himself the Ducks’ starter, Fasth replied: “No, I don’t.”

“Jonas played against Columbus and played incredibly good,” he added. “I just try to work hard, and I’ll play when the coach tells me to play. That’s how things work.”

Hiller is under contract through 2013-14, making $4.5 million this season and again next year.

Fasth has thoroughly impressed the Ducks with his smooth positional play and exceptional stick work, but the veteran netminder was expected to be a solid NHL player. He was named the Swedish Elite League’s top goaltender in each of the past two seasons with AIK Stockholm, the first goalie to win back-to-back Honken Trophies since New York Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist.

Fasth also played at the 2011 world championships in Slovakia, backstopping Sweden to silver medals while winning the tournament MVP award and raising his profile among international hockey watchers.

“The national team is a window for every player to get the ice under you,” Fasth said. “The Swedish Elite League, I don’t know if there’s many scouts watching that, but of course it helps to play for the national team and play good there.”

After Jonathan Toews converted the first shootout attempt for Chicago, Fasth stopped Patrick Kane’s backhander and denied Brandon Saad on the right side of the goal to become the first goalie to win his first six NHL starts since Dan Ellis with Dallas and Nashville from Feb. 18, 2004, to Nov. 29, 2007.

Nick Bonino and Corey Perry scored in the tiebreaker for Anaheim, which improved to 3-1 on its season-high, six-game road trip. Ryan Getzlaf and Andrew Cogliano scored in regulation.

Brandon Saad and Nick Leddy had the goals for Chicago, which remained the only NHL team without a regulation loss. Corey Crawford made 29 saves in the first home game for the Blackhawks in two weeks.

Chicago was in front 2-1 before Cogliano sent a deflected shot into the left side of the net with 2:40 left in the third after he had his helmet knocked off. It was the second goal in the last two games for Cogliano, and his second on the year.

The Blackhawks were on the power play for almost four minutes in overtime but couldn’t get the winning goal. Fasth made a nice stop on Patrick Sharp’s slap shot and a glove save on Marian Hossa to send it to the shootout.

Getzlaf put the Ducks in front with a power-play goal in the second, but the momentum shifted after Chicago forward Bryan Bickell leveled Getzlaf midway through the period. Brad Staubitz immediately jumped on Bickell to defend his teammate. He got a few punches in before Bickell took him to the ice, and the Blackhawks quickly jumped on Fasth for a pair of goals in their first home game since a 2-1 victory over Detroit on Jan. 27.

With Staubitz in the box serving an instigating penalty, Leddy sent a slap shot off the right post and into the goal for his second of the season at 10:17.

Saad then came down and sent a leaping wrister toward Fasth as he was going to the ice. The puck went off Fasth’s left shoulder and started trickling down his back. Luca Sbisa went to the ice to try to stop it from crossing the line as players both teams flocked into the goalmouth.

After a lengthy replay review, the officials announced the puck had crossed the line before the goal was knocked off its posts. As the Blackhawks celebrated Saad’s second of the year, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau listened to an explanation from the referees.

It looked as if that goal would be the difference until Cogliano tied it up in the third. He also scored in Anaheim’s 6-5 shootout win at St. Louis on Saturday.

NOTES: F Daniel Carcillo skated again Tuesday morning, and coach Joel Quenneville said he might able to practice with the Blackhawks this week. Carcillo hasn’t played since he injured his right knee in the season opener against the Kings … Ducks G Jonas Hiller also skated Tuesday and remains day to day with a lower-body injury. … Chicago won three of four meetings with Anaheim last season, including both games at home.

Given the way he’s playing, the backup is making a strong case for even more playing time.

Fasth stopped 31 shots for his first NHL shutout and Francois Beauchemin scored in his 500th career game, lifting the surging Anaheim Ducks to a 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

In just a short time — four starts, to be exact — Fasth has earned the trust of his teammates and his coach.

“He’s giving me confidence that I never knew I’d have in him when he came over,” said Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau, whose team won its fourth straight game. “It’s a great, pleasant surprise that Viktor has come over and played so well.”

The 30-year-old Fasth has certainly been quite a find for the Ducks since he signed as a free agent during the offseason. According to the Ducks, Fasth is the first goaltender in NHL history over the age of 30 to win his first four games.

Fasth stymied the struggling Avalanche with one sprawling save after another to help Anaheim start a six-game road swing on a good note.

“Vik’s really on the puck, making it easy on us,” Beauchemin said. “If it wasn’t for him, there was no way we would’ve won that game.”

The Avalanche players were in a sour mood after the game as they were shut out for a third time this season. That especially didn’t sit too well with Matt Duchene.

“We’ve got to find a way to score, bottom line,” Duchene said. “We’ve been shut out three times in 10 games; it’s unacceptable. It’s almost 50 percent of the games we’re getting shut out. It’s a joke.”

No one’s laughing about Fasth’s fast start. In his first four NHL appearances, he’s stopped 101 of 105 shots. But the ever-humble Fasth shrugged off his recent play, even his first shutout.

“It’s nothing you go and think about. You just try to do your best and help the team out as much as you can,” Fasth said. “I’m really glad I had (the shutout). It’s a little bonus. Most important thing is we got the win and started off this road trip really good.”

The competition between Fasth and starter Jonas Hiller is heating up. Not that Boudreau views it quite that way.

“Hilly will be playing very soon,” Boudreau said. “He will be doing the same thing, I hope.”

Fasth’s best save against Colorado was when Milan Hejduk skated in late in the final period and lined a shot that Fasth gobbled up with his chest.

That was the type of night it was for Fasth, who was the Swedish Elite League’s goaltender of the year the last two seasons.

“Tonight, he stole us a victory,” Boudreau said.

Sheldon Souray and Saku Koivu each added a goal and an assist for the Ducks,

Kyle Palmieri nearly added a goal early in the third period on a 2-on-1 breakaway, but Semyon Varlamov slid over, stuck out of his glove and trapped the puck against the post. The referees took a quick look on replay before upholding the ruling of no goal.

Beauchemin all but wrapped up this game with a goal in the second period that gave the Ducks a commanding 3-0 lead. The play was set up by Koivu, who took a bone-jarring hit along the boards to send the puck into the offensive zone, where Daniel Winnik corralled the puck and sent it over to Beauchemin for his second goal of the season.

The Avalanche had David Jones back in the lineup after he missed the previous two games with a knee injury. But it didn’t ignite the offense as Colorado lost for a second straight time at home.

Boudreau had a chance to catch up with Varlamov, his former goalie, in a Pepsi Center hallway at the morning skate. The two were together while with Washington.

Asked the biggest difference between Varlamov then and now, Boudreau said, “He’s way more consistent. From when I watch, there are no soft goals.”

And then Varlamov proceeded to surrender two soft ones in the first period. He let a liner from Souray near the blue line slip between his pads.

Later, Varlamov failed to bat away a pass through the goal crease, allowing Koivu to tap it in with the Ducks on a 5-on-3 advantage. It was the first goal the Avs have allowed in 21 power-play chances at Pepsi Center this season.

“If you look at the overall game, they didn’t outplay us,” Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. “At the end it got a little helter-skelter. We had some chance, we didn’t score. We’ve got to stick with it and keep grinding it out.”

NOTES: Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog (head and leg) missed a sixth straight game. … The injury-riddled Avalanche claimed F Aaron Palushaj off waivers from Montreal. He didn’t play Wednesday. … Ducks D Toni Lydman (flu) was a scratch. The team recalled D Jordan Hendry from Norfolk.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Logan Couture scored for San Jose with less than 3 minutes left in the third period to tie the game at 2. He ripped a shot that appeared to deflect off the skates of Bryan Allen and trickled past Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller, who otherwise had an outstanding game.

The Sharks improved to 6-0-0, matching the Chicago Blackhawks for the best record in the NHL.

Francois Beauchemin and Matt Beleskey scored within a minute of each other midway through the second period to put the Ducks ahead. Hiller stopped 16 shots.

Joe Pavelski scored the first goal for the Sharks, limited to two power-play opportunities. Antti Niemi had 28 saves and San Jose hung on when Teemu Selanne hit the post on Anaheim’s final shootout try.

Anaheim’s constant pressure and ability to stay out of the penalty box made things tough on the Sharks.

Pavelski scored for the third time in two games when he fired one past Hiller midway through the first period. Joe Thornton gave Pavelski a nice pass just to the right of the net.

Beleskey took a shot from the side that bounced off Niemi’s pads and into the net to tie it. Less than a minute later, Beauchemin beat Niemi with a shot over his left shoulder.

NOTES: Sharks D Dan Boyle sat out with the flu. … Ducks forward Emerson Etem made his NHL debut in the first period. … Thornton has 57 points (16 goals, 41 assists) in 58 games against the Ducks. … The Ducks are 0 for 12 on the power play since converting all three chances in their first game. … On the first goal of the game, Sharks forward Patrick Marleau, Thornton and Pavelski all extended their point streak to six games. … The Sharks lost their previous three games at home against the Ducks. … The Ducks outshot the Sharks 13-4 in the first period. … Sharks C Scott Gomez got his first point for San Jose with an assist on Couture’s goal.

Daniel Sedin and Raymond scored on power plays in the first period, and Zack Kassian added a man-advantage goal in the third period as the Canucks quieted Anaheim’s standing-room-only crowd at the final home opener of the NHL’s lockout-shortened season.

Schneider bounced back splendidly from his season-opening pratfall as the Canucks’ new starting goalie last Saturday in Vancouver, where the Ducks chased him with five goals in 27 minutes.

Jonas Hiller stopped 29 shots, but Anaheim couldn’t get off to a 3-0-0 start for the second time in franchise history.

Aaron Volpatti also scored and captain Henrik Sedin had two assists as Vancouver opened a three-game California road trip, its first of the season after a 1-1-1 start at home.

The Canucks’ two early power-play goals ruined a celebratory atmosphere at Honda Center for the Ducks, who started the season with a 7-3 win in Vancouver and another high-scoring victory in Calgary. Anaheim was 2-0-0 to start a season for just the second time in franchise history, but couldn’t match its franchise-best start in the 2006-07 season, when the Ducks went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The Ducks took themselves out of the game early with penalties, allowing seven power-play goals already this season.

With Daniel Winnik and Ryan Getzlaf in the box together for 89 seconds midway through the first period, Henrik Sedin found his brother with a cross-ice pass for Daniel’s second goal of the season. Late in the period, Vancouver’s power play capitalized again when Raymond swatted his own rebound out of the air past Hiller.

Vancouver also took 2-0 leads in its last two games, but coughed them up before splitting shootouts with Calgary and Edmonton.

After Alex Burrows was awarded a penalty shot in the second period when Luca Sbisa stopped his breakaway out of the penalty box, Hiller stopped him. But Volpatti pounced on a turnover in the slot and beat Hiller later in the period.

Kassian scored on a power play and Raymond scored a 4-on-4 goal in the third period, which also featured Corey Perry battering Keith Ballard in a fight in which the Vancouver defenseman didn’t throw a punch.

The Canucks played without center Manny Malhotra, who wasn’t with the team after his wife, Joann, gave birth to a baby boy Thursday.

NOTES: New Anaheim assistant coach Scott Niedermayer didn’t attend the game. The four-time NHL champion defenseman was in Kamloops, B.C., where the WHL’s Blazers retired his No. 28 jersey. … Ducks owner Henry Samueli walked the Honda Center concourse before the game, shaking fans’ hands while a camera crew documented his moves. … Before the game, Anaheim sent D Sami Vatanen to Norfolk (AHL). The 21-year-old starred in the Finnish Elite League last season before getting off to a strong start in Norfolk during the NHL lockout. … In Malhotra’s absence, Jordan Schroeder played in his second NHL game, getting his first career point with an assist on Raymond’s second goal. Vancouver already was thin up the middle without C Ryan Kesler, who’s out indefinitely after offseason surgery on his shoulder and wrist. Malhotra is expected to rejoin the Canucks before Sunday’s game in San Jose.

The Ducks will play their first home game at Honda Center against the Canucks January 25.

Anaheim is also scheduled this season to take on the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings four times.

Tickets for all home games will go on sale today at the Honda Center box office from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., coinciding with the team’s first practice. (Today’s practice is open to the public.)

The team also announced that fans who buy tickets to the home opener will receive a voucher for a half-priced ticket for later in the season.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

The former Ducks captain and four-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman will be an assistant to Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau this season, the Ducks announced Friday.

Niedermayer won’t make every road trip with the club, and he won’t stand behind the Ducks’ bench during most games. But the former Canadian Olympic captain and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman will take a more active role with the Ducks after spending the previous two seasons in player development for Anaheim.

“The last couple of years, I’ve been working with players in Syracuse and Norfolk (with the Ducks’ AHL affiliate clubs), and I realized I do enjoy it, maybe more than I thought when I was a player,” Niedermayer said in a phone interview. “I don’t think I could have predicted that when I was a player. I probably couldn’t predict this when I was a player. I’m excited about the chance to try and help.”

Niedermayer spent the final five seasons of his 18-year career with Anaheim, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s playoff MVP while leading the Ducks to their only Stanley Cup championship in 2007.

Niedermayer was a six-time All-Star who won the Norris Trophy in 2004 while playing for New Jersey. He won three Stanley Cup titles with the Devils in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

The offense-minded defenseman retired in June 2010 at just 36 years old, determined to spend more time with his family after several previous flirtations with retirement. Along with his four Stanley Cup rings, Niedermayer won two Olympic gold medals, a Memorial Cup title in junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers and gold medals in the IIHF world championships and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

The British Columbia native remained in Orange County with his wife and four sons after retirement, spending the last two years as a consultant to general manager Bob Murray and the Ducks’ hockey operations department.

“Of course you miss (playing),” Niedermayer said. “There are things you’ll probably always miss. It’s a great thing to be a professional athlete, so I was very fortunate. The last couple of years have been different, but I’ve had a lot of opportunities to do things with the family, and hopefully there’s still a few years left to do some new things.”

Niedermayer has been particularly influential on the development of defenseman Cam Fowler, who lived with Niedermayer’s family after breaking into the NHL two seasons ago. Luca Sbisa, the Ducks’ young Swiss defenseman and Fowler’s fellow cornerstone, also will get special tutoring from Niedermayer.

“My goal is to help out, maybe focus on the younger guys that are breaking into the league, give them a little advice,” Niedermayer said.

He might be able to help out the older Ducks as well, if they can get used to taking direction from a former teammate. Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are among several current Ducks who played with Niedermayer.

After the NHL’s last lockout in 2005, he signed with Anaheim as a free agent, playing alongside his brother, Rob. The Ducks won California’s first Stanley Cup in 2007, with Niedermayer and fellow defenseman Chris Pronger dominating the postseason with bruising physical play and timely offense.

Niedermayer joins Ducks assistant coaches Bob Woods and Brad Lauer on the staff led by Boudreau, who sparked the Ducks’ solid finish after taking over for Randy Carlyle early last season.

“Those guys are doing all the heavy lifting,” Niedermayer said. “When they ask me to do some things, I’ll be glad to help out, and then just be on the ice, be supportive.”

The league made the announcement Friday, the 69th day of the NHL’s lockout of its players.

The new cancellations come as little surprise. The two sides had an unproductive negotiating session on Wednesday that produced no movement to break an impasse over splitting more than $3 billion in revenue and also player contracts.

A total of 422 regular-season games, more than 34 percent of the season, have now been lost.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says losing the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus is “extremely disappointing.”

“We feel badly for NHL fans and particularly those in Columbus, and we intend to work closely with the Blue Jackets organization to return the NHL All-Star events to Columbus and their fans as quickly as possible,” Daly said.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

A day after the NHL turned down three counterproposals from players, the league canceled 53 more games. A total of 135 games through Nov. 1 have been scratched, which amounts to 11 percent of the season.

In its third lockout since 1994, the NHL is sticking to its most recent proposal that stated a full 82-game-per-team schedule could be played if the season begins by Nov. 2. The league says a deal must be reached with the union by next Thursday for that to happen.

Two weeks ago, the league called off 82 games from Oct. 11-24.

On Thursday, the union rejected the NHL’s proposal made two days earlier that offered a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues and ensured a full regular-season schedule. In brief talks, the players countered with their trio of offers that were, in turn, quickly dismissed by the league.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he was “thoroughly disappointed” as he and the league delegation left union headquarters in Toronto. Bettman said that the owners’ proposal was the “best that we could do” and added that the sides are still far apart.

“None of the three variations of player share that they gave us even began to approach 50-50, either at all or for some long period of time,” Bettman said Thursday. “It’s clear we’re not speaking the same language.”

No new talks are scheduled.

If next Thursday’s deadline passes, more games will likely be cut, and the New Year’s Day Winter Classic will be the next big event in danger of being lost. The Detroit Red Wings are slated to host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the outdoor extravaganza at Michigan Stadium.

Union executive director Donald Fehr said two of the union’s proposals would have the players take a fixed amount of revenue, which would turn into an approximate 50-50 split over the term of the deal, provided league revenues continued to grow.

The third approach would be a 50-50 split, as long as the league honored all existing contracts at full value.

None of it made any positive impression on the NHL.

“This is not a good day,” Fehr said Thursday. “It should have been.”

The players’ association didn’t have any immediate comment following the latest cancellations.

Unable to reach agreement on a new labor deal, the National Hockey League locked out its players at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the third major pro sport to impose a work stoppage in the last 18 months, behind the NFL and NBA.

The action also marks the fourth shutdown for the NHL since 1992, including a year-long dispute that forced the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season when the league successfully held out for a salary cap.

That fight ended with the latest collective bargaining agreement, and when it ended Commissioner Gary Bettman followed through on his longstanding pledge to lock out the players if no deal was in place.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the shutdown was in effect. The union said it would have no comment.

The sides were so far apart in their discussions that they didn’t even meet face-to-face for negotiations on Saturday.

The core issue is money — how to split a $3.3 billion pot of revenue. The owners want to decrease the percentage of hockey-related revenue that goes to players, while the union wants a guarantee that players annually get at least the $1.8 billion in salaries paid out last season.

Hours before the deadline, the lockout was considered a foregone conclusion.

“We talked with the union this morning, and in light of the fact that they have nothing new to offer, or any substantive response to our last proposal, there would be nothing gained by convening a bargaining session at this time,” Daly said in a statement earlier Saturday. “I’m sure that we will remain in contact in the coming days.”

The dispute is latest chapter in labor unrest that has vexed American professional sports. The NFL was locked out for much of the offseason in 2011 while the last NBA season was shortened from 82 games to 66 and began on Christmas.

Baseball successfully reached a labor deal and some have suggested that the fact MLB didn’t have a work stoppage has to do with the fact that baseball has no salary cap, allowing for more wiggle room in negotiations.

Despite a third straight day of telephone discussions between Daly and players’ association special counsel Steve Fehr, the brother of NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, hopes of face-to-face talks were dashed early Saturday.

“We suggested that the parties meet in advance of the owners’ self-imposed deadline of midnight tonight,” Steve Fehr said Saturday in a written statement. “Don Fehr, myself and several players on the Negotiating Committee were in the City and prepared to meet. The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting.

It now appears unlikely that training camps will open next week. The regular season is scheduled to begin Oct. 11, but that is also in peril.

 (© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Total revenue of the league’s operations is the biggest sticking point right now, and it’s an important one. The players like their cut right now. The owners don’t.

The two sides met last Friday in another round of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires on Sept. 15.

There were multiple reports coming out of the last round of talks that the owners’ offer included players’ hockey-related revenues get slashed from 57 percent to 46 percent. It also was reported that players would be forced to wait 10 years before becoming unrestricted free agents and that contracts would be limited to five years — a major change considering Zach Parise and fellow blue-chip free agent Ryan Suter decided to sign matching 13-year, $98 million contracts with the Minnesota Wild.

NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly are among those meeting Wednesday. The two sides have regularly met since opening talks June 29 in a bid to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said after Friday’s session, “We’ve got a lot of work to do in a relatively short period of time.”

Fehr said he didn’t know what kind of short timeframe Bettman was talking about.

“The optimum would be to get a deal done as soon as you could,” Fehr said.

Fehr said he viewed a strike as a “last resort.”

“What a last resort means is you bargain in good faith, you do everything you can, you listen carefully to what the other side says, you make counter proposals when you can, where you believe it’s consistent with the kind of contract you believe is appropriate, and you keep at it until you get an agreement,” he said. “Hopefully the other side shares that.”

Bettman oversaw the 1994-95 NHL lockout that delayed the start of the season and forced a 48-game regular-season schedule. When labor problems lingered in 2004-05, Bettman shut down the league. It took years for the NHL to recover from the lost season.

Fehr is very protective of the players’ prerogatives under the National Labor Relations Act. He believes players are effectively 50-50 partners with owners over anything that affects their work rules, such as realignment, which stalled last season after the players’ association refused to agree to the changes.

The NHL regular season is slated to start on Oct. 11.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

The Ducks announced the deal Friday with the Swedish defenseman.

The 18-year-old Lindholm was the sixth overall pick in last month’s draft. He finished last season with Rogle BK, helping the club earn promotion to the Swedish Elite League.

Lindholm has another season left on his contract with Rogle BK, but is expected to attend training camp in Anaheim in September.

The 42-year-old Selanne agreed Thursday to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Ducks to return for the 20th NHL season of his remarkable career.

Selanne could end up being the NHL’s oldest active player next season, yet he shows no signs of slowing after leading the Ducks in scoring last season. Only Gordie Howe ever scored more points as a 41-year-old than Selanne’s 66 last season, and Selanne sees no reason he shouldn’t keep going.

“Sometimes, age is just a number,” Selanne said in a phone interview while on vacation in Italy. “Age is a funny thing. A lot of times, I don’t really feel 42. It’s just a number. It all depends on how you feel.”

The Finnish Flash’s real numbers are much more impressive: Selanne is the 19th-leading scorer in NHL history with 1,406 points in two decades spent mostly in Anaheim, his home for parts of 13 seasons. The right wing is 12th in league history with 663 goals, and could crack the top 10 with another strong season.

“I just enjoy the game so much,” Selanne said. “I still feel I have something to give.”

Selanne has been with the Ducks for the past seven years, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. Although he has contemplated retirement every offseason since raising the Cup, his latest return to the Ducks has been widely expected after he played all 82 games — the oldest player in NHL history to do that — without injuries.

“It was a little bit easier than last year,” said Selanne, who needed offseason knee surgery a year ago. “Last year, I had my knee and wasn’t sure if I was able to play again. I just enjoy the game so much.”

He’s in the middle of a long summer break after Anaheim missed the playoffs, but the Ducks surged in the second half of the year under new coach Bruce Boudreau. Selanne was impressed by Boudreau’s energy and management technique, and he believes the Ducks are ready for a rebound after winning just one postseason round in the past five seasons since their championship.

“Our team, we want to win again, so that was a part of my decision, too,” Selanne said. “I truly believe we have all the pieces. We obviously have some unfinished business from last year, and I can’t wait to start the season again.”

Selanne could be the NHL’s senior player this winter if goalie Dwayne Roloson — nine months older than Selanne — remains unsigned, although 47-year-old Czech goalie Dominik Hasek is entertaining the prospect of an NHL comeback.

Yet Selanne’s production, enthusiasm and fitness have remained incredibly steady as he advances into his 40s. He has scored at least 25 goals in six of his last seven seasons with Anaheim, and Selanne was the NHL’s eighth-leading scorer in 2010-11 with 80 points.

The Ducks gave him a raise from last season’s $4 million deal, although it’s not about money at this point for Selanne. He has a comfortable life in Orange County with his wife and four children, who have always encouraged him to keep playing.

“I think we’re all enjoying this moment right now, and my boys are happy,” Selanne said. “My family has been so supportive. It’s another season, and they’re so excited about it.”

Selanne’s teammates also were thrilled to hear the news, with left wing Bobby Ryan tweeting: “That ageless wonder number 8 still doing it for one more year! What a beauty to be around. He’s not bad either!”

Devante Smith-Pelly, Selanne’s 20-year-old teammate, was even more succinct: “One more year! One more year!”

ANAHEIM  (AP) — Although the Anaheim Ducks selected Hampus Lindholm with the sixth overall pick Friday night, the Swedish defenseman’s arrival was almost a secondary development on a busy draft day.

General manager Bob Murray prefaced his compliments for Lindholm and his sadness at the departure of traded defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to voice his displeasure with star forward Bobby Ryan, who ripped the organization in a newspaper interview.

Ryan is angry about hearing his name in repeated trade rumors for much of the past 10 months, and the four-time 30-goal scorer from South Jersey said he would love to join the Philadelphia Flyers. Murray doesn’t comment on trade talks, but he wishes Ryan would pay less attention to the media.

“I’d just like to say I’m disappointed at this time about his comments, and I intend to talk to Bobby personally when I get back from the draft,” Murray said by phone from the draft in Pittsburgh.

Ryan’s angry comments became public shortly before the Ducks parted ways with Visnovsky, trading the veteran defenseman to the New York Islanders for a second-round pick in next year’s draft. Visnovsky was the NHL’s top-scoring defenseman with 68 points during the 2010-11 season, but was slowed by injuries throughout last season, managing just six goals and 21 assists.

The 35-year-old Slovak also has just one year left on his contract.

“At this time we’re changing the direction of our team a little bit,” Murray said. “He’s an offensive defenseman, and I think we have some younger players that can play (that role). It’s a hockey move, and we’re attempting to change a little bit the look on that back end.”

Although Lindholm won’t help the Ducks for at least another year, Murray believes he is a long-term candidate to fill that job for many seasons to come. That is why Anaheim took a big risk to land a player who could provide a major reward.

The Ducks bypassed several higher-rated defense prospects to choose the 6-foot-2 Lindholm, whose all-around game has impressed Murray since he first saw Lindholm in person in February. Murray returned to Sweden in April to watch him again, and the smooth-skating defenseman was remarkably impressive in his pre-draft fitness workouts.

Although he will stay in the Swedish Elite League to play for Rogle BK for at least another year, Anaheim hopes Lindholm will be an heir to its tradition of high-scoring defensemen including Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Visnovsky.

“We’re really happy and delighted to have this young man,” Murray said. “We think he’s going to be a quality player for a long, long time.”

Lindholm realized the Ducks were interested in him, but he still got a charge when he heard his name. He will visit California for the first time next week.

“It’s like, whoa, so early,” Lindholm said. “But it was a very good experience. I didn’t know I was going to get picked so early, but I love the guys there, all the scouts and (executives). … I’m very proud to be with the Anaheim Ducks. It’s a very good team, and it’s going to be a lot of good years in the future.”

Lindholm made his pro debut last year for Rogle, playing 20 games as the club’s big-league team gained elevation to the Elite League. He had four assists at the World Junior Championships for Sweden’s silver medalists, and the NHL’s Central Scouting Service rated him fourth among European skaters.

The Ducks also appreciate Lindholm’s smarts: He took university courses while playing for Rogle last year. Lindholm’s mentor is Kenny Jonsson, the former Islanders captain who served as Rogle’s assistant coach for defense last year.

“I talk to him about almost everything,” Lindholm said. “He’s a role model. It’s going to be good to have him around.”

The Ducks already have a European flavor with leading scorer Teemu Selanne and fellow Finn Saku Koivu alongside Swiss stars Jonas Hiller and Luca Sbisa, and Anaheim has added two Swedes in recent weeks. Respected Swedish goalie Viktor Fasth signed with the Ducks earlier in the offseason and is likely to be Hiller’s backup next season.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

ANAHEIM  (AP) — Teemu Selanne insists the Anaheim Ducks really are the team that surged through the past 3½ months with one of the NHL’s best records, not the sad-sacks who bumbled into an inescapable hole in the standings during the final months of 2011.

While the Ducks packed up their lockers Monday after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, the front office turned its attention to the essential question of the Ducks’ offseason: Which of those two teams will show up for camp in September if this talented roster stays largely intact?

“There’s no question we feel like we’re a playoff team, but it just seemed like in the first half of the year, everything went down,” said the 41-year-old Selanne, who led the Ducks with 66 points. “It didn’t turn around until it was too late. Sometimes it doesn’t work, and somebody has to pay the price.”

Devante Smith-Pelly tied it earlier in the third period for the Ducks, who erased three St. Louis leads before Blake banked his seventh goal of the season off the skate of St. Louis defenseman Ian Cole. Jonas Hiller made 35 saves for Anaheim, which won five straight home games over St. Louis.

Cam Fowler and Nick Bonino also scored and captain Ryan Getzlaf had two assists for the Ducks, whose playoff hopes are essentially dead despite a strong second-half surge under new coach Bruce Boudreau.

Instead they delivered a dud of a performance that left them on the outside of the playoff picture with just 10 games remaining in the season.

Bobby Ryan had a goal and two assists and Jeff Deslauriers won in his first game in more than two months as the Anaheim Ducks dealt a blow to San Jose’s playoff hopes with a 5-3 victory Monday night.

“The lack of energy and jump that we had as a team was baffling,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. “It really is. When we’re supposed to be as desperate as we are apparently. I can’t figure out why we didn’t have that jump. Some nights when you don’t have it you have to rely on your hockey sense and your brain to put you in position to be successful. We didn’t have that going either.”

Francois Beauchemin, Corey Perry, Nate Guenin and Kyle Palmieri also scored and Nick Bonino had a career-high three assists for the last-place Ducks, who had lost five of six to all but end a late-season playoff push.

“Our team has a lot of pride, we’ve played hard from January on,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Whenever you can derail a California team – you like to do it.”

Marty Havlat, Ryane Clowe and Joe Pavelski scored for the Sharks, who missed a golden opportunity to improve their playoff positioning on a night their rivals were idle.

San Jose entered the night in ninth place in the Western Conference but could have moved into third position by taking the Pacific Division lead with a win. But they were unable to against a struggling Ducks team on the back end of back-to-backs starting a goalie who hadn’t played an NHL game since Jan. 10.

The Sharks struck first but twice allowed Anaheim to score the shift after a San Jose goal to lose for the third time in three home games this season against the Ducks. The Sharks have little margin for error if they want to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

“It’s disappointing,” captain Joe Thornton said. “‘We could have hopped over a bunch of teams tonight but that’s sports. It’s unfortunate we just didn’t win. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to go to L.A. and play hard tomorrow.”

San Jose is tied for ninth place with Los Angeles, one point behind division leaders Dallas and Phoenix. They have a game in hand over the Coyotes and two games in hand over Colorado, who are tied for seventh in the conference.

The Sharks fell behind in a lackluster second period, giving up the lead when Perry outraced Havlat and Marc-Edouard Vlasic to knock in the rebound of Ryan Getzlaf’s breakaway attempt.

Nate Guenin’s big shot from the point midway through the period made it 4-2, ending Antti Niemi’s night with four goals on 26 shots.

The Sharks got right back into the game when Pavelski tipped Brent Burns’ point shot past Deslauriers for his career-high 26th goal of the season.

The good feeling lasted only 33 seconds as Palmieri knocked his own rebound past Thomas Greiss from a bad angle to restore the two-goal advantage heading into the third.

“It happened twice. That was the frustrating part,” Clowe said. “It’s tough to say what happens on those shifts.”

The Sharks put some pressure on Deslauriers in the third but couldn’t get one past him as he finished with 27 saves.

Deslauriers got just his second start of the year for Anaheim as Jonas Hiller got the day off after starting a club-record 32 consecutive games. Deslauriers stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 5-2 win over Dallas on Jan. 10, but had not played since being called up from the minors on Feb. 14.

“It’s been a long time,” Deslauriers said. “My role is to be ready all the time. My role is too support Jonas. … I was pretty excited to get the start. The good thing about not playing all the time is that you do a lot practice on the ice and in the gym. I was in shape. I wasn’t out of breath.”

The teams alternated goals in a wide-open first period that ended with the score tied at 2. The Ducks answered Havlat’s early power-play goal on the next shift when Ryan knocked in a rebound of Palmieri’s shot after Jason Demers struggled to play a bouncing puck for San Jose.

Havlat then set up Clowe in the slot for an easy one-timer that made it 2-1. But Burns took a bad interference penalty leading to Beauchemin equalizer with 2:08 left in the period.

Notes: Hiller’s streak of games started was the longest for any goalie since Niemi started 34 straight last year for the Sharks. … Clowe had his second three-point game of the season, also recording three assists in a loss at Phoenix on Feb. 4. … Guenin’s goal was his first since the season opener against Buffalo in Finland.

Updated March 20, 2012
w3 © 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
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Anders Lindback made 30 saves in his eighth start this season for the Predators while Pekka Rinne got the night off. Lindback, the tallest goalie in the NHL at 6-foot-6, had lost his previous five starts since Nov. 28, when he faced only 18 shots in a 2-1 win at Edmonton. Legwand scored a power-play goal into an empty net with 16.5 seconds left after a hooking penalty against Bobby Ryan.

Nashville tied idle Detroit for fourth place in the Western Conference standings and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with 10 games left for both teams.

The Predators posted their sixth straight regular-season win over Anaheim. They eliminated the Ducks in six games in the opening round of last year’s playoffs — the first time the Predators ever won a postseason series.

Rookie forward Devante Smith-Pelly scored his first career short-handed goal for the Ducks, whose 3-7-1 slide has put them out of playoff contention. Jonas Hiller made 24 saves in his 32nd consecutive start, extending his franchise record.

The Predators tied it when Legwand carried the puck over the blue line and found Hornqvist streaking toward the net past defenseman Francois Beauchemin. Hornqvist converted the perfect tape-to-tape pass, beating Hiller high to the stick side for his 23rd goal.

Fisher put Nashville ahead for good with 9:33 remaining, converting a rebound of Ryan Suter’s point-blank shot for his 23rd of the season after the puck bounced off Hiller, then off defenseman Sheldon Brookbank and into the crease. Martin Erat got his 300th NHL assist on the play.

Smith-Pelly, who didn’t get credit for his first NHL goal until an official scorer’s change some 45 minutes after the Ducks’ 4-2 home loss to the Predators on Nov. 9, opened the scoring at 7:32 of the first period with his fifth of the season. It came on a 2-on-1 rush with Ryan Getzlaf while the Ducks were killing a high-sticking penalty against Ryan.

At 19 years, 9 months, Smith-Pelly is the second-youngest player in Ducks history to score a short-handed goal. Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky was 18 years, 9 months old when he did it on Feb. 1, 1995, in a 9-2 loss at Dallas.

Notes: This was the first season in which Anaheim failed to beat the Predators since the NHL expanded to Nashville in 1988-89. … The Ducks were 0 for 9 on the power play in the four meetings, making them 4 for 36 against the Predators over the past three seasons. … Hiller is 3-8-0 lifetime against Nashville despite a goals-against average under 3.00. … Anaheim D Toni Lydman was scratched because of an upper-body injury, the fourth game he’s missed this season. Beauchemin and defense partner Cam Fowler are the only Anaheim defenseman to have played in all 73 games. … Nashville’s Barry Trotz needs three wins to join Al Arbour, Lindy Ruff, Billy Reay and Toe Blake as the only coaches with at least 500 in the regular season. All of Trotz’s victories have come with the Predators — who have had only one coach throughout their 13 seasons in the NHL. … Nashville RW Martin Erat, who scored the winner against the Ducks on a penalty shot the last time the Predators played in Anaheim on Nov. 9, has at least one goal against every NHL team except Boston and Montreal. … The Predators are 34-8-4 since their last back-to-back regulation losses, Dec. 23-26 against Dallas and Detroit. … Nashville’s next road win will give the Predators at least 20 for the third straight season. They have five chances to do it, starting with Thursday night’s game at Pittsburgh.

The Kings won the Freeway Faceoff series 5-1. Last season, the Ducks swept a season-ending home-and-home set with their Southern California rivals to clinch a playoff berth — marking the only time both teams made it to the postseason in the same year. This is the fifth time during the Ducks’ 18-year rivalry with the Kings that they ended their season series with 10 or more games left on the schedule.

Cam Fowler and defenseman Luca Sbisa scored for the Ducks, who outshot the Kings 42-19. Jonas Hiller made 19 of his 39 saves in the second period after giving up three goals on eight shots in the first.

Jamie McGinn and Kevin Porter also scored for the surging Avalanche, who have won four of five to move into the eighth and final playoff spot.

Francois Beauchemin and Teemu Selanne had the goals for the Ducks, a team that was rolling along until a recent slide. Anaheim has dropped six of eight to tumble even further out of the postseason picture.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Morrow, the Stars’ captain, had been out with neck and shoulder stiffness. Morrow skated on the left side of a line with Jamie Benn and Steve Ott. He scored his ninth goal of the season at 2:37 of the second period, converting Benn’s centering pass just as a 5-on-3 Stars power play expired. Ott also assisted on the goal.

Morrow registered his 514th career point, tying him with Jere Lehtinen for ninth in franchise history.

Lehtonen made the goal stand up, preserving his third shutout of the season with a sharp glove save against Anaheim’s Saku Koivu with under 15 minutes to play.

Michael Ryder added an empty-netter, tying a career high with his 30th of the season, with 45.5 seconds left to clinch the victory.

The victory gave the Pacific Division-leading Stars, 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, 81 points.

Jonas Hiller made 21 saves for Anaheim, 2-5 in its last seven games.

The Stars went 5-1 against the Ducks in the season series that concluded Saturday night.

Notes: Anaheim RW Corey Perry had to go to the locker room with less than seven minutes left in the second period after taking a hard hit into the boards by Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas. Robidas went to the penalty box for boarding while Perry skated shakily to the bench, but Perry returned for the third period. Perry had four goals in his previous four games. … C Nick Bonino (leg) and G Dan Ellis (groin) sat out for the Ducks. … Dallas D Sheldon Souray (lower body) and forward Jake Dowell (finger) and missed the game for Dallas. … Lehtonen has started 17 of the last 19 games. … Ott returned after missing a game due to back spasms. … Hiller has played 63 of Anaheim’s 69 games. … Dallas RW Radek Dvorak left in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Patrik Berglund scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Jaroslav Halak made 24 saves for his career-high seventh straight win to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

St. Louis improved to a league-best 28-4-4 at home with their seventh win in eight games. David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk also scored for St. Louis, which is 20-1-3 in its last 24 home games.

The Blues have a league-leading 93 points, marking the first time they have led the NHL in points this late in the season since Mar. 9, 2000.

Corey Perry scored for Anaheim, which has lost four of its last six.

Halak, who improved to 23-10-5, won six in a row from Jan. 3-21. He lost six of his first seven starts.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeff Carter scored his first two goals since joining the Kings last week, and Jonathan Quick made 29 saves in Los Angeles’ 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

Captain Dustin Brown scored a power-play goal and Anze Kopitar added an empty-netter for the Kings, who won the Freeway Faceoff for the fourth time in the Southern California clubs’ five meetings this season. Mike Richards had three assists for Los Angeles, which also improved its playoff chances by moving within one point of Dallas for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Sheldon Brookbank and Devante Smith-Pelly scored for the Ducks, whose hopes for an improbable playoff run are fading with their third loss in four games following the trade deadline.

Jonas Hiller stopped 16 shots in his 25th consecutive start for Anaheim, but the Ducks are stuck in 12th place in the conference, seven points from a playoff spot with 16 games to play.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

DENVER (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly broke a tie 37 seconds into the third period and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Monday night in a game between two surging teams trying to climb back into playoff contention.

Cody McLeod, Matt Duchene and Jay McClement also scored for the Avalanche, who won their fourth straight to move into a tie with Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Bobby Ryan had a goal for a weary Ducks squad that was playing for a third time in five nights. The fatigue showed in the third period when Anaheim surrendered three goals, including two within a span of 2:18 to help Colorado end a six-game skid to the Ducks on home ice.

ANAHEIM (AP) — Teemu Selanne scored a power-play goal and had an assist to move into 20th place on the NHL’s career scoring list, and the Anaheim Ducks kept rolling in their return from an eight-game road trip, beating the slumping Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 Sunday night.

Jonas Hiller made 18 saves in his 21st consecutive start for the Ducks, who won for the ninth time in 12 games during their improbable playoff push. Andrew Cogliano scored his first goal of February for the Ducks, and Sheldon Brookbank also scored as Anaheim avoided a four-game season sweep by Chicago.

Patrick Kane ended the Blackhawks’ monthlong 0-for-39 power-play drought with a first-period goal, and Ray Emery stopped 35 shots against his former Anaheim teammates in Chicago’s third consecutive loss.

The Blackhawks have lost 12 of 16 overall, yet still sit comfortably in sixth place in the Western Conference standings.

The Blackhawks played their fourth straight game without captain Jonathan Toews, who is home in Chicago with an apparent concussion. Coach Joel Quenneville hopes Toews and defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson will return Wednesday against Toronto, but the Blackhawks struggled through a two-game Southern California road trip, losing 4-0 up the I-5 freeway in Los Angeles one night earlier.

Selanne inched up the NHL scoring list by setting up Brookbank’s goal in the second period before scoring his 21st of the season from a sharp angle during a two-man advantage in the third. The 41-year-old Finnish Flash caught and passed Luc Robitaille with 1,395 points, and his 246th career power-play goal put him one behind Robitaille for fourth in league history.

Selanne is the second-oldest player in NHL history to score at least 21 goals in a season, trailing only Gordie Howe, who did it twice after his 41st birthday.

Anaheim got just two days off following the longest continuous road trip in franchise history before starting a key stretch of five games in seven days. The Ducks have been among the NHL’s top teams since Jan. 1, going 17-4-4 — but it still might not be enough to save their season.

After falling 20 points out of eighth place in the West during their awful start, the Ducks are just six points out of playoff position — but still in 13th place in the West.

Chicago hadn’t scored a power-play goal since Jan. 24, but Kane slipped a long shot through traffic and just inside Hiller’s post midway through the first period. The goal appeared to awaken the Ducks, and Cogliano scored with 20 seconds left in the period when he got the puck alone in front of Emery.

The referees immediately waved off the goal because Cogliano clearly kicked the puck toward the net with his right skate, but a lengthy video review at the league offices in Toronto revealed Cogliano poked the puck through Emery’s legs with his stick after Emery stopped the kick with his pads.

Emery backstopped the Ducks to a playoff berth last season, filling in for Hiller after the All-Star break when the Swiss goalie went down with an apparent case of vertigo.

Anaheim thoroughly controlled the second period, but wasn’t rewarded until Selanne passed from behind the Chicago net to Brookbank, who fired it off Duncan Keith and past Emery. The goal was Brookbank’s second in five games after playing the 167 straight games without a goal.

NOTES: The Blackhawks have never swept Anaheim in a season series. … Longtime Montreal captain Saku Koivu played his 200th game with the Ducks. … Cogliano’s score snapped a 12-game goal drought since his hat trick Jan. 31 at Phoenix. … The biggest regular-season crowd in Honda Center history welcomed the Ducks back from the road, with 17,601 tickets sold in a standing-room-only crowd.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.