Three-goal third-period burst turns Game 5 into a breeze for 3-2 series lead
The Ducks knew they could count on homeice advantage, not necessarily their power-play prowess.
However, in a moment-of-truth Game 5 played before another standing-room-only crowd at Honda Center, they set a team playoff record by scoring four goals with an opponent in the penalty box, and beat the Dallas Stars, 6-2.
Top-seeded Anaheim takes a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series, with Game 6 on Sunday in Texas.
Emphasizing why he’s the Ducks’ captain, center Ryan Getzlaf steadily gave the 17,334 in attendance reason to roar after missing Game 4 with an upper body injury.
Getzlaf had the masses on their feet just by showing up for warmups and starting.
He then helped the Ducks break open a tight game early in the third period, producing one of their three goals in the first 6 minutes 49 seconds, creating bedlam after contributing two earlier assists and leading the team in time on ice (17:19) through two periods.
The Ducks, who started 20-0-2 at Honda Center this season, have
banked on the home ice, with their fans producing 15 consecutive sellouts and 31 in all this season.
Friday, the Ducks had a 3-1 lead 65 seconds into the second period on three power-play goals, as forward Patrick Maroon pushed a backward pass up ice that Getzlaf crossed to Mathieu Perreault for the goal.
While the Ducks did establish a franchise record for goals this season, their power-play production was spotty.
From Dec. 11 to Jan. 3, they scored once in 32 power-play chances over 10 games, then endured a two-for-47 slump from Feb. 28 to March 14.
And they’d been two for 16 on the power play in the playoffs before converting four of six chances Friday.
“We moved the puck around good and took it to the net,” Getzlaf said. “It was incredible how the guys played the special teams battle.”
With that issue resolved, the Ducks leaned heavily on rookie goalie Frederik Andersen in the second period. Andersen was sent to the bench Wednesday in the Ducks’ 4-2 Game 4 loss in Dallas after blowing a 2-0 lead, giving up four goals in 18 shots.
But Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said Friday morning he had faith that the rookie who won 20 regularseason games would rebound. He did, with 34 saves total, helping the Ducks kill seven penalties in Game 5, in- cluding two five-on-threes.
“I was pretty calm, just had to get back to the foundation of the game,” Andersen said.
Dallas unleashed 19 shots on goal in the second period as the Ducks mustered just seven. Andersen let only one get past him, Shawn Horcoff knocking one in from in front after bashing the goalie’s right knee.
The Ducks left a hectic first period with a 2-1 lead thanks to two power-play goals that followed transgressions by Dallas’ usual suspects.
First, Stars forward Antoine Roussel, who threw the infamous left hand at Getzlaf ’s stitched-up chin in Game 3, was sent to the box for interference.
Getzlaf, who passed teammate Teemu Selanne for most career playoff points (66) in Ducks history, then assisted on forward Nick Bonino’s opening goal against Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen 5:32 into the game.
Stars forward Ryan Garbutt enhanced his villain role by jabbing his stick to Ducks forward Corey Perry’s groin region. Perry took quite awhile to rise as Garbutt was ushered off the ice with a fiveminute spearing penalty and a game-misconduct.
Perry returned minutes later and, in the third period, would score the fourth power-play goal in diving fashion after Tim Thomas replaced Lehtonen in goal for Dallas. lance.pugmire@latimes.com Twitter: @latimespugmire