Ducks 2, Wild 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Anaheim right winger Corey Perry scored for the seventh consecutive game and the Ducks held off the Minnesota Wild for a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night at the Honda Center.
Perry's goal in the second period turned out to be the difference for the Ducks (22-7-5), who beat the Wild (18-10-5) for the sixth straight time and extended their win streak to four. Anaheim also improved its record at the Honda Center to 12-0-2, the only NHL club to avoid a loss in regulation at home this season.
Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller recorded 23 saves while Minnesota netminder Josh Harding finished with 29.
Defense dictated much of the contest. After a scoreless first, rookie defenseman Alex Grant broke the ice and scored his second goal in as many games, rushing down the ride side of the ice and drilling a shot past Harding for a 1-0 Anaheim lead at 2:37 of the second period.
Perry left the contest midway through the second period after colliding with teammate and defenseman Hampus Lindholm. But after taking a few minutes to regain his senses, Perry returned and knocked home a rebound of a Lindholm miss and punched it in at 13:27 of the second for a 2-0 Ducks' lead.
The goal was Perry's club-leading 21st. Perry has 36 points on the season, second on the Ducks. C Ryan Getzlaf, who earned an assist on the goal, raised his string of games with a point to 13. Getzlaf had 38 points, tops on the club.
Right winger Jason Pominville put Minnesota on the board at 3:48 of the third when he picked up an attempt by defenseman Ryan Suter and cashed it in for his club-high 15th goal on a power play to cut Anaheim's lead to 2-1.
But the Wild failed to score again.
NOTES: Ducks D Mark Fistric, who left Monday's win over the New York Islanders with a lower-body injury, was scratched. ... The Koivu brothers met for the 18th time. Minnesota C Mikko Koivu scored 11 points to seven for C Saku, but the latter has a 10-3-4 mark against Minnesota. ... The Wild entered the contest as one of the lowest scoring clubs on the road, averaging just 1.86 goals per game. With a 5-6-3 mark, they also are the only NHL club with at least 40 points with a losing road record. ... Wednesday's outing was the first of a three-game trip for the Wild. They visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. ... The Ducks host the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday before embarking on a four-game trip beginning Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.
