At the start of the third period of Saturday nights game against the lowly New York Islanders, the Anaheim Ducks trailed 3-1 and it appeared any chance of breaking the franchise record for consecutive wins would have to be put back on hold...again.
Then Ryan Getzlaf took over.
The Ducks captain scored two goals and added an assist in the final period to rally his team to a 5-3 victory in front of the emptiest building in the league. Anaheim extended their winning streak to a franchise-record eight games by scoring four times in the third period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It was also another low-light in a season full of them for the last place Islanders.
Getzlaf earned his second career hat trick (and second this season) and assisted on Kyle Palmieri's game-winning goal. Palmieri, a New York/New Jersey native, scored the overtime goal the night before against the Devils.
I guess Dorothy was right...there really is no place like home and Palmieri took full advantage.
With the win, the Ducks leap-frogged the Blackhawks for the top spot in the NHL. Anaheim is 26-7-5 with 57 points, one more than the Hawks and two more than the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was another incredible night for Getzlaf. He now has 43 points in just 35 games and is third is the NHL scoring race behind Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane. He also appears Hell bent on leading his team to back-to-back Pacific Division crowns and in to the playoffs and beyond.
Not since the days of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya has a Ducks team had two players as exciting and game changing as Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Except, I believe Getz and Perry mean even more to their team than Selanne and Kariya ever did. (dodges flying tomatoes)
Some other points of interest...
- Palmieri score in back-to-back games for the first time since last May during the Ducks first round playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
- Daniel Winnik picked up his 15th assist of the season on Mathieu Perreault's third period goal. The 15 assists match a career high for Winnik and it marks the first time he's collected that many helpers since 2010-11 while a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
- Corey Perry added two more assists (17 & 18), giving him 40 points in 38 games this season. He is also a career high plus-18 up to this point.
- Frederik Andersen made 18 saves for his ninth wins in 10 games.
- Anaheim has played a league high 23 road games and is riding a five game winning streak away from the Honda Center.
- The Ducks have score 66 goals on the road - the most in club history.
The Ducks finish up this road trip against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. The conclusion of that game will officially mark the last time the Ducks will play in the Eastern Time Zone this season. Go figure.
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