Ducks get beat up by Hurricanes, 5-1

The Ducks had four days off to prepare for the Carolina Hurricanes, who are stuck near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.

They will have five days for the frustration to wear off after those two points were lost Friday in a 5-1 loss at Honda Center.

The Ducks fell into a 3-0 hole and their spirited effort to start the third period was too late to salvage the finale of a six-game homestand. A quirk in the schedule gives the Ducks five days off before a four-game trip leads into the Christmas break.

“I call it not being a pro,” Ryan Getzlaf said. “We had four days off. We should have expected to come out and play one of our best games of the year and we didn’t. You have to be able to use those breaks and use them the right way and show up to play come game time. I didn’t think we did a very good job of that.”

The offense remains stalled 29 games into the season. Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau mixed up his lines in the third period but Anaheim managed just Jakob Silfverberg’s score with 5:51 left.

Carolina’s Jeff Skinner completed a hat trick with an empty-net goal and the Hurricanes, with backup goalie Eddie Lack, got their first road win since Oct. 29.

“I thought this was a game that was ready to catapult us up to the next level a little bit,” Boudreau said. “Now we took a step back and we’ve got to work hard and we’ve got to win a few in a row.”

The Ducks were riding hot goalie John Gibson, but Boudreau removed Gibson for Frederik Andersen to start the third period to give Andersen his first game action since Nov. 21.

Ducks center Nate Thompson was ejected with a five-minute elbowing major for a hit to the head of Justin Faulk 6:25 into the game. Thompson said his intentions weren’t bad.

“I’m a pretty honest player. I’m not a dirty player,” Thompson said. “It’s just one of those things that happened fast. I wasn’t trying to hit his head.”

The Ducks killed the penalty but it wasn’t the ideal start. Boudreau emphasized staying out of the penalty box, and Carolina made them pay in the second period on Elias Lindholm’s power-play goal.

Skinner’s second goal came on a tap-in midway through the second. Victor Rask drove to the net and his shot fell loose at the side for Skinner. Boudreau challenged that Rask interfered Gibson, but the goal was upheld upon review.

The Ducks trailed, 1-0, on Skinner’s first goal, a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Gibson.

It came in transition after a solid shift by the Ducks’ top line ended in Getzlaf’s blind pass to no one. Getzlaf fought defenseman Ron Hainsey just after Lindholm’s goal but the tussle fizzled out quickly, much like the Ducks’ opportunity.

“We didn’t do a good job of getting emotionally involved in the game, getting going, executing to a higher level,” Getzlaf said.

Andersen staying ready

Andersen said before the game he’s been working “harder than I actually have before” to get back into form after a case of flu facilitated Gibson taking the net.

It hasn’t been easy, because the Ducks are carrying three goalies and Andersen doesn’t get as much work taking shots in practice.

“It’s frustrating to stand there and look at someone else in the practices, and obviously games too,” he said. “But in practice you want to be in there. You want to be working hard and get better.”

Boudreau said Andersen will start next week “at some point.” Andersen also shares the net with backup Anton Khudobin.

“The situation’s got to be figured out a little bit, but I’m definitely ready” to start, Andersen said.

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