Getzlaf gets 1,000th career point
ANAHEIM >> It was a pass like so many of the others Ryan Getzlaf had made over his 17-season NHL ca- reer, a cross-ice feed to a streaking teammate that freed him for a shot and a goal. At the same time, Getzlaf’s perfectly-directed pass to Cam Fowler was unlike all the others.
Getzlaf deftly sent the puck from the right wing to the left, bouncing it off the boards so Fowler could skate onto it and, without breaking stride, send it into the net only 3:32 into the Ducks’ 3-2 overtime win Tuesday at Honda Center, their eighth consecutive win and the 1,000th in franchise history.
Trevor Zegras won it for the Ducks at 4:14 of the five-minute extra period.
Earlier, the Ducks leaped from their bench to mob Getzlaf as the Honda Center crowd roared in celebration of the captain’s 1,000th career point. He did it with Ducks royalty in the house, with Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne coincidentally on hand to honor longtime executive David McNab.
“He’s meant so much to the franchise,” Kariya said of the 36-year-old Getzlaf. “He’s been a Duck from the start. Who knows how long he’ll play? But he’s been a great leader, and he’s been a great guy in the community. Similar to David, how many guys spend that long with one team?
“His play this year has been incredible; his leadership and his all-around game has been fantastic. When you talk about the offense and the talent of the young guys like Zegras, (Troy) Terry and (Jamie) Drysdale, obviously that’s come to the forefront.”
Getzlaf became the 92nd player in NHL history to record 1,000 points and the 39th to do it all with the same team. He has 280 goals and a franchise-record 720 assists in 1,118 games. The first of his 1,000 points was an assist Oct. 14, 2005 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Terry also assisted on Fowler’s first-period goal, extending his scoring streak to 15 consecutive games, tying Getzlaf (2007-08) for the third-longest streak in Ducks history. Corey Perry holds the franchise record with a 19game streak in 2009-10, followed by Selanne’s 17-game streak in 1998-99.
The Capitals appeared to have tied the score 1-1 at 4:58 of the opening period, when Nick Jensen beat Ducks goaltender John Gibson with a perimeter shot. Ducks coach Dallas Eakins challenged for offside and a video review upheld the challenge and washed out the goal.
The Ducks dominated the first period in many ways, outshooting the Capitals 11-8 and winning 10 of 13 faceoffs, but they held only a 1-0 lead. They still had a one-goal lead entering the third, but it wasn’t for a lack of scoring chances, including two especially good ones.
Terry skated unmarked behind the Capitals’ defense with only teammate Mason McTavish along for company. Terry’s breakaway attempt and McTavish’s rebound try were both foiled by a sprawling Vitek Vanecek with less than two minutes remaining in the second period, however.
The Capitals tied it 1-1 on Garrett Pilon’s goal at 5:36 of the third period, capping a determined push to begin the period. The Ducks regained the lead 2-1 on Zegras’ goal at the 10-minute mark. Tom Wilson’s deflection then tied it 2-2 at 17:28, forcing the game to OT.