Perry's Hat Trick Leads Ducks Past Maple Leafs, 4-0
ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com/AP) — Corey Perry scored three goals and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves for his second career shutout in the Anaheim Ducks' 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Kyle Palmieri also scored in the Ducks' fourth victory in five games, putting them back atop the overall NHL standings alongside Nashville.
Capping his league-leading third hat trick of the season with an empty-net goal, Perry took over the team lead with 18 goals this season despite missing 15 games with illness and injury.
His second goal was a breakaway set up by a long, beautiful backhand pass from captain Ryan Getzlaf, who had two assists in Anaheim's first win over Toronto in seven tries.
Jonathan Bernier stopped 21 shots for the Maple Leafs, 1-3 under new coach Peter Horachek.
Andersen responded well to the relatively few tests provided by Toronto in the Danish netminder's 44th victory in just 64 career games. Andersen also got an assist on Perry's empty-netter to complete his eighth career hat trick.
The Leafs haven't scored with a goalie in the opposite net in 162 minutes and 37 seconds, getting only an empty-net goal in their last eight periods of play.
Toronto has scored just nine goals in six games in 2015, but has improved its defense under Horachek, who took over when Randy Carlyle was fired last week. Carlyle won the 2007 Stanley Cup during seven seasons behind the Ducks bench.
Matt Beleskey and his team-leading 17 goals were a healthy scratch by Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, but Anaheim's offense kept purring without him, with 18 goals in its last five games.
In the waning seconds of a two-man advantage in the first period, Palmieri ripped a shot in and out of the net so quickly that play didn't stop. Hampus Lindholm then scored on Bernier shortly after the penalties ended, but video review confirmed Palmieri had scored his third goal in five games.
Perry got his second goal since Nov. 29 when his low shot deflected off Cody Franson's skate and through Bernier's legs. The 2011 NHL MVP missed 10 games last month with a sprained knee and five earlier games with mumps.
Perry scored again in the second when Getzlaf hit him with an exceptional 100-foot backhand pass from the boards.
The hat trick marked the eighth of Perry's career.
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