Ducks tip hat and top Tampa
They welcome back Perry before routing Lightning to stop their four-game losing skid.
Derek Grant scored two goals, John Gibson made 32 saves and the Ducks emphatically ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.
Kevin Shattenkirk and Vinni Lettieri had a goal and an assist apiece, and Nicolas Deslauriers added a shorthanded, empty-netter for the Ducks with 7:37 to play. The Ducks reclaimed sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division by routing the overall NHL co-leaders for only its third win in 12 games.
Tampa Bay’s Corey Perry got several standing ovations in his first game in Anaheim since the Ducks bought out his contract in 2019. The 2011 NHL MVP spent his first 14 seasons in Orange County, scoring 372 goals and winning the Stanley Cup in 2007 while becoming a franchise cornerstone alongside longtime linemate Ryan Getzlaf.
Lightning forward Ondrej Palat missed his fourth straight game with a lowerbody injury, which meant Perry could play on the top line.
But Tampa Bay, which had a full complement of six defensemen after playing with just four blueliners on Tuesday, fell behind 4-0 early in the third period. The Lightning went 0 for 7 in their worst power play performance of the season.
Ducks coach Dallas Eakins missed the game after testing positive for COVID-19, joining All-Star Troy Terry, forward Sonny Milano and key defensemen Cam Fowler and Josh Manson.
Assistant coach Mike Stothers ran the Ducks in the absence of Eakins and fellow assistants Geoff Ward and Joe Piscotty. Todd Marchant, the Ducks’ director of player development, also stepped behind the bench temporarily.
Grant produced his first multi-goal game since December 2019 in the Ducks’ final home game before Feb. 11.