Game report: Canucks 3, Ducks 2

Key play: Emerson Etem scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period and the Vancouver Canucks held on for a 3-2 victory Friday over the Ducks at the Honda Center. Etem, a former Ducks right wing and a Long Beach native, scored for only the fourth time in 54 games this season.

Playoff update: The Ducks (43-24-10, 96 points) squandered a chance to leapfrog the Kings and take over first place in the Pacific Division. The Kings (46-26-5, 97 points) face the Dallas Stars today at Staples Center, with a chance to pad their lead.

Quote, unquote: “It’s a game we should have won,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We should have had two points. You need 20 guys playing and we didn’t have 20 going. … We definitely didn’t play a 60-minute game. We haven’t played a 60-minute game in a while.”

Milestone approaching: Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano played in his 699th consecutive, the longest active streak in the NHL and the sixth-longest in league history. He’s expected to play in his 700th straight game Sunday, when the Ducks play host to the Stars.

Injury updates: The Canucks began the game with only 11 healthy forwards, shifting defenseman Andrey Pedan to left wing. Then they lost left wing Chris Higgins to a lower-body injury and right wing Linden Vey to an upper-body injury, dropping the number to nine.

Game report: Ducks 8, Flames 3

Key play: Corey Perry’s goal 57 seconds into the game propelled the Ducks to a x-x victory Wednesday over Calgary, sending them past the idle Kings and into first place in the Pacific Division. The Ducks’ win also was their 23rd in a row over the Flames at the Honda Center, dating to 2003-04.

Playoff update: The Ducks (43-23-10, 96 points) lead the Kings (45-26-5, 95 points) by one point and the third-place Sharks (43-28-6, 92 points) by four. The Kings can retake first place with a victory Thursday over the Flames at Staples Center.

Quote, unquote: “You know what? We’re not even talking about that,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of chasing a fourth consecutive Pacific Division championship. “We’ve got six games left. Let’s play as well as we can. No matter who choose in the playoffs, it’s going to be a battle. We’ve won the division three years in a row, it’s not a big deal for us.”

Pivotal performer: Ducks center Ryan Kesler had a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) in his second game back in the lineup after a two-game absence to attend to a family matter. He also won 12 of 18 faceoffs (67 percent) as the Ducks went 38-25 in the circle (60 percent).

Injury update: Ducks goalie John Gibson left the game after teammate Hampus Lindholm accidentally crashed into him midway through the second period. Frederik Andersen replaced Gibson for the final 9:40 of the second before Gibson returned to the net to start the third.

Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano nominated for Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Ducks left wing Andrew Cogliano has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy by the Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. The award is given to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

Cogliano has nine goals and 27 points and a plus-3 defensive rating while playing in all 75 games this season. In fact, his streak of 697 consecutive games played is the longest by an active player in the NHL and the sixth-longest in league history. He is a three-time Masterton nominee by the Anaheim chapter of the PHWA.

“The streak is great, but the way he handles himself as a professional is outstanding,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I’ve never seen anything like it from any other player I’ve been associated with. He does the right things for his body, puts the right food in it. He rests when he’s supposed to rest. He works out diligently every day, and that’s one of the reasons he has this streak going. He works out very hard. I don’t think people realize how tough he is.

“Last night (a 2-1 victory Monday over the Edmonton Oilers), he gets hit in the head (in a collision with teammate Jakob Silfverberg) and he’s down and he doesn’t miss a shift. He shakes it off. Other than that, for the Masterton, he’s just a really good person and does a lot of community stuff and will sit and talk with anybody.

“To me, he’s just the perfect candidate.”

Ducks left wing David Perron returns to Orange County for MRI exam on injured right shoulder

Ducks left wing David Perron suffered an injured right shoulder during their 3-2 overtime victory Sunday over the Winnipeg Jets. How serious it is will be determined by an MRI exam. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau told reports Perron has returned to Orange County for further examination. Boudreau said Perron is “week to week.”

Game report: Rangers 2, Ducks 1

Key play: Kevin Klein scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period and the New York Rangers went on to take a 2-1 victory Wednesday over the Ducks at the Honda Center. The Rangers also ended the Ducks’ 9-0-1 point streak on home ice.

Pivotal performer: Klein more than made up for a first-period giveaway that led to Jamie McGinn’s goal that gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 14:03. Klein scored the first goal for the Rangers off a long rebound and then had the puck deflect off his stick for their second one.

Quote, unquote: “I thought they deserved at least one,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of going without a power play opportunity for only the third time this season and the first time since a 2-1 victory Dec. 19 against the New Jersey Devils.

Between the pipes: John Gibson returned to the Ducks’ net after Frederik Andersen played the last two games as Boudreau continued his two-on, two-off rotation. Antti Raanta started for the Rangers in place of Henrik Lundqvist, who is expected to play tonight against the Kings.

Injury updates: Ducks defensemen Kevin Bieksa and Sami Vatanen didn’t play against the Rangers. Bieksa sat out for the second consecutive game because of a lower-body injury. Vatanen couldn’t play for the third game because of an upper-body injury.

Game report: Ducks 7, Devils 1

Key play: Left wing Andrew Cogliano ignited a four-goal second-period outburst by scoring at the 32-second mark and the Ducks took a 7-1 victory Monday from the New Jersey Devils at the Honda Center. The Ducks remained two points behind the first-place Kings in the Pacific Division.

Pivotal performer: Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg scored three goals and added an assist for his first hat trick and four-point game in the NHL. He had two goals and one assist during the pivotal second period, helping the Ducks take a commanding 4-1 lead.

Quote, unquote: “I think we’re a great checking line, but we have the skill to score goals, too,” Silfverberg said after he scored three times, and Cogliano and Kesler scored once apiece and each had two assists. “It’s great for the confidence. It’s good for all three of us. … It’s was a fun night.”

Between the pipes: Frederik Andersen started in goal for the Ducks as coach Bruce Boudreau stuck to his two games on, two games off rotation. Andersen made 24 saves. John Gibson is expected to play Wednesday against the New York Rangers.

Milestone moment: Boudreau won his 200th game as Ducks coach, reaching the mark faster than any other in team history. Boudreau is 200-100-38 during four-plus seasons as coach. Randy Carlyle holds the record for most victories as Ducks coach with 273 in 516 games.

Injury updates: Defenseman Kevin Bieksa didn’t play because of a lower-body injury suffered during the Ducks’ 5-2 loss Friday to the St. Louis Blues. Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen sat out for the second game because of an upper-body injury.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau’s quote of the night

Here’s some of what Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said after a 2-1 shootout loss Monday to the Washington Capitals at the Honda Center: “It’s great we got a point and all that. We’re winning right now, but we’re not playing as good as we can. We have to get back to that. It’s tough to keep winning. It was 11 in a row. Our execution wasn’t what it should’ve been tonight. Maybe they (the Capitals) had a lot do do with it. They’re a pretty good hockey club.”

 

Game report: Capitals 2, Ducks 1 (shootout)

Key play: Nicklas Backstrom scored in the third round of a shootout to give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 victory Monday over the Ducks at the Honda Center, ending their 11-game winning streak. The Ducks’ point streak was extended to 14 games in a row, however.

Pivotal performer: Ducks goaltender John Gibson was sharp from the start, and he had to be as the Capitals swarmed his net for extended stretches. He gave up only Andre Burakovsky’s tying goal in the opening minutes of the third period during regulation and overtime. He made 31 saves.

Quote, unquote: “We played against, in my opinion and a lot of people’s opinion, the best team in the East and we matched up well against them and it was a good game,” Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. “You’re not going to win every game, but we played well tonight. We play that game over again and who knows? Maybe we get a different result.”

Milestone delayed: Bruce Boudreau went into the game with 199 victories in 334 contests as the Ducks’ coach. Overall, he was 199-98-37 in four-plus seasons with the Ducks. Randy Carlyle holds the franchise record with 230 victories between 2005-06 and 2011-12.

Between the pipes: Gibson returned to the net after Frederik Andersen started the past two games for the Ducks as Boudreau stuck to his recent two-on, two-off rotation. Gibson lowered his goals-against average to 2.05, best in the NHL. Branden Holtby made his 54th appearance for the Capitals and stopped 27 shots to improve his league-leading record to 41-8-3.

Freeway Series game report: Ducks 3, Kings 2

Key play: Jakob Silfverberg’s power-play goal early in the third period propelled the Ducks to a 3-2 victory Saturday over the Kings at Staples Center, breaking a first-place tie in the Pacific Division. The victory extended the Ducks’ winning streak to 11 consecutive games, a club record.

Pivotal performer: Ducks center Rickard Rakell came within a goal of his first Gordie Howe hat trick in NHL. In addition to his assist on Silfverberg’s power-play strike, he got into a first-period fight only 6:58 into the game. He also played a strong all-around game.

Dropping the gloves: Rakell scored a decisive victory over the Kings’ Kris Versteeg to cap a first-period melee between the teams. Rakell landed several right hands to Versteeg’s face and head during his first fight in the NHL.

Quote, unquote: “I’m usually a pretty nice guy,” Rakell said.

Injury update: Versteeg suffered what the Kings called an upper-body injury and was said to be questionable to return to the game. He played only 2:10, all in the first period, in his second game since the Kings acquired him last Sunday from the Carolina Hurricanes.

Milestone moment: Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau recorded his 400th career coaching victory in his 663th game in the NHL, the fastest in league history. Overall, he is 400-186-77 during his coaching career with the Ducks and the Washington Capitals.

Illness update: Ducks defenseman Simon Despres returned to the Ducks’ lineup after sitting out Thursday’s victory at Arizona and Wednesday’s shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens. Clayton Stoner was scratched after filling in for Despres the last two games.

Between the pipes: Jonathan Quick made his 52 appearance in goal for the Kings. Frederik Andersen returned to the Ducks’ net after he was in goal for a 5-1 victory Thursday over the Arizona Coyotes as Boudreau stuck to his recent two games on, two games off game plan.

Special teams: The Ducks’ power-play unit clicked for the 11th consecutive game, with David Perron extending the streak with a man-advantage goal that made it 2-1 late in the second period. The Ducks were 17 for 17 on the power play in their past three games before Saturday.