Wed Jan 16 01:26:34 2008

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Ducks quack past Stars

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Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Scott Niedermayer recorded a goal and two assists, as the Anaheim Ducks continued their stellar play on home ice with a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars at the Honda Center.

Todd Bertuzzi and Ryan Getzlaf both notched a goal and an assist while Todd Marchant also scored for the Ducks, who won their seventh straight home game. Jean-Sebastien Giguere allowed two goals on 24 shots for Anaheim, which has won six of its last seven games overall.

Niklas Hagman and Loui Eriksson scored for Dallas, which is winless in three straight (0-2-1) and fell to 2-6-1 in its last nine games overall. Marty Turco turned aside 32 shots in the losing effort.

Hagman's 15th goal 3:13 after the opening faceoff gave the visitors an early lead, but the Ducks answered less than two minutes later courtesy of a stellar passing display.

Niedermayer started the play with a drop pass from above the right circle for Bertuzzi, who then stopped mid-stride in the slot and sent a turnaround backhand pass to Corey Perry along the goal line to the right of the net. Perry quickly fed a pass out to the area beneath the left circle for a wide open Niedermayer and his wrister lit the lamp at the 4:41 mark.

The Ducks moved ahead by two after they scored twice in under five minutes midway through the second period.

Marchant tallied just over nine minutes into the stanza for his fourth goal of the season. Ryan Carter released a sharp-angle backhander from along the base of the right half-wall and Turco made the save, but his swipe attempt to clear the rebound with the paddle of his stick ended up loose behind the net. Marchant alertly swooped in, gained control and successfully punched home a wraparound stuffer at the left post.

On the next shift, an entertaining heavyweight bout between veteran enforcer Brad May and Dallas forward Krys Barch took place. These two have squared off several other times this season, and this fight lasted well over a minute with each player landing several shots to the face.

With 6:18 to go in the second, Getzlaf's 18th of the season -- a rebound from near the right post on the power play -- gave the Ducks a two-goal edge.

Dallas drew within 3-2 inside the final minute of the middle session on Eriksson's sixth goal. He gained control of a loose puck near the goal mouth and lifted a wrister above Giguere's shoulder at 19:37.

Another Anaheim power-play goal and the only tally of the final period capped the scoring. Dallas blueliner Niklas Grossman was whistled for hooking at the 8:21 mark and it took Bertuzzi only 16 seconds with the man advantage to cash in. He held control along the goal line to the left of the net, drifted in toward the near post and fired a hard wrist shot that hit Turco's body, fell behind the netminder and trickled over the goal line.

Game Notes

Getzlaf extended his point streak to 11 consecutive games and has five goals and 10 assists in that span...The Ducks improved to 16-6-4 at home this season...Despite the loss, the Stars have captured three of the four meetings with Anaheim this season...In the third period, Anaheim's Chris Kunitz failed to score on a short-handed penalty shot attempt...The Ducks were 2-for-7 on the power play and held the Stars scoreless on their three chances with the extra skater....Earlier Tuesday, the Stars acquired defenseman Dan Jancevski from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Junior Lessard...Attendance was 17,174.