Ducks’ Perry aims for return during Dallas series.

Corey Perry jumped on the ice before practice Tuesday and decided he wanted to stay there.

The sight of Perry taking part in a couple of drills was encouraging for the Ducks as it appears their leading goal scorer this season could be in position to return sometime during the Western Conference quarterfinals against Dallas.

Perry skated for the first time since his right quadriceps muscle was severed just above the knee when he was cut by the skate of Colorado goaltender Jose Theodore in a game March 6.

“Today, it felt great,” Perry said. “That’s why I stayed out and did a couple of drills with the team. If it continues to be like that, it could be quicker than everybody thinks.”

Perry sat out the last 12 games of the season but still led the Ducks with 29 goals, the lowest leading total since Paul Kariya had 18 in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season.

“It’s always encouraging when you have a player that’s injured and he’s back on the ice for the first time,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “He’s skated a little bit with us and he’ll skate some more.

“Obviously we think that there’s a time frame that’s been set. In our minds, there’s a possibility of him making it back to it… . A lot of things have to go well for that to happen.”

Perry said he was improving every day and hoping that he could be available when the series shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.

“With these injuries, you want to talk to the doctor first,” he said. “I’ve seen him quite a bit. He said he’s told me it’s one of those things where you have to wait. It could feel better one day and then you can have a setback another day.

“You’ve just got to take your time. Hopefully I can get back in there in this series.”

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Rookie center Ryan Carter said his surgically repaired right wrist didn’t cause him any problems in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Phoenix, his first game since breaking it on Feb. 20.

“It’s an injury that kept me out six weeks and as much as you try to block it out, I think you do think about it,” Carter said. “I did test it and it was fine. There were no situations that I couldn’t play in. It’s good.”

Carter suffered the break on a freak play when he got his hand jammed in a hole that photographers use to take pictures.

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The Ducks sold out all of their home games this season, but tickets remain available for Game 1 on Thursday and Game 2 on Saturday as well as a potential Game 6 and Game 7 if the series extends that far.

eric.stephens@latimes.com