Ducks get a crucial victory

Ah, the beauty of late-season hockey during a playoff scramble. Those defensive struggles and tight-checking games. . . .

There was no evidence of any of that Thursday at GM Place.

Corey Perry scored the only goal of a shootout as the Ducks rallied for a 6-5 victory, keeping them seventh in the West.

The Ducks extended their road winning streak to five and their recent surge to 9-2 with an unlikely but well-timed triumph in a game that took on new urgency after the St. Louis Blues won at Detroit and temporarily passed them in the standings.

“We had a couple of breakdowns, but we managed to come back,” said Bobby Ryan, who had two goals and an assist.

“It was a gutsy win for two points we desperately needed. I feel like we’ve got a good little run going, and we want to keep it going.”

The Ducks and Canucks alternated moments of brilliance and bumbling, with neither able to protect a lead. The Ducks made standout Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo look mortal, but the Canucks made the Ducks’ defense look disorganized.

For the Ducks, there were lots of Ryans on the scoresheet.

Bobby Ryan scored two goals and added an assist, Ryan Getzlaf had two assists, and defenseman Ryan Whitney, playing one of his best overall games, also recorded two assists.

Identical twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin were so active all night for the Canucks it seemed like there were eight of them.

Henrik had a goal and one assist while Daniel had two assists and a goal. Linemate Alex Burrows had a goal and an assist.

“We live another day,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “This time of year every point is very, very precious.”

The Ducks sprinted out to an early 2-0 lead to silence the crowd. But the Canucks pulled even and carried a five-on-three advantage into the second period.

The Ducks scored on consecutive shots against Luongo, the first with Burrows serving a penalty for goalkeeper interference. After quick passes by James Wisniewski and Whitney, Ryan took a long wrist shot that was stopped by Luongo. But the puck plopped loose in front, and Teemu Selanne chipped it home at 12:01.

Ryan made it 2-0 at 13:17. He took a long wrist shot that might have deflected before it eluded Luongo, who was screened by Perry. Getzlaf and Niedermayer got the assists.

The Canucks pulled within a goal at 15:29 thanks to the Sedins and Burrows. Henrik Sedin won a faceoff in the Ducks’ zone to give the Canucks possession and used his brother as a screen for a 30-foot shot that eluded Jonas Hiller at 15:29.

Given some life, the Canucks pressed hard and tied it after Taylor Pyatt sent a pass out of the corner to Steve Bernier in front of the net. Bernier threw it across the crease and through Chris Pronger’s legs, allowing Kyle Wellwood to pounce on it and flick it home from short range.

The goals just kept on coming in the second period, which ended with the teams even at 5-5.

“It’s not that fun, trust me,” Getzlaf said. “Not when we’re playing for a playoff spot.”

The Canucks scored twice in the first 5:18, the first by Burrows and the second on a slap shot by Daniel Sedin from about 35 feet out, during a power play. The Ducks made it 4-3 on a superb individual play by Ryan, who faked his way around Mattias Ohlund before beating Luongo on a backhander at 7:36, but Vancouver rebuilt a two-goal cushion at 10:56 on Ryan Kesler’s redirect.

Still, the Ducks weren’t done. Whitney, using offensive skills he hadn’t showcased much since the Ducks acquired him from Pittsburgh, helped cut Vancouver’s lead to 5-4 at 12:02. He made a foray deep into the zone for a shot that Luongo saved, but Perry scored on the rebound.

After the line of Drew Miller, Andrew Ebbett and Selanne created several turnovers in the neutral zone on a single shift, the Ducks capitalized on that work to tie the score at 5-5. Selanne, on the right side on a three-on-two, finished it off with his 25th goal of the season, with assists from Ebbett and Brendan Mikkelson.

Not the kind of game coaches like -- unless they win. And this win made the Ducks’ playoff chances look a lot better.

“It’s been a long year with a lot of inconsistencies,” Ryan said. “We got rewarded for how hard we worked.”

Several local reporters floated the theory that the Ducks could be a dangerous first-round playoff opponent for Detroit or San Jose.

“I hope so,” Getzlaf said. “Once we get in it’s anybody’s game.

“But we haven’t thought a minute about who we’re going to play in the playoffs. We just want to get in there.”

They’re almost there, crazy as it seems.

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helene.elliott@latimes.com