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Teemu Selanne does trick for Ducks in 5-4 win

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The buzz around the Ducks’ locker room Monday morning was about forward Corey Perry, who leads the NHL in goals.

The buzz around the net Monday night was by someone who has been through all that before, and chasing something else — fun.

Teemu Selanne’s three goals and two assists helped the Ducks rally for a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Honda Center.

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The Ducks labored against a team that holds NHL chum status, having lost 23 of its last 26 games. But the Ducks needed Selanne to kick-start things after falling behind, 2-0.

“When I won the Stanley Cup, I thought I was through,” said Selanne, part of the Ducks’ championship team. “I had achieved the ultimate goal. I came back to see if I could have fun. If I can leave the ice each night and say, ‘I had fun,’ it is worth it.”

It was worth a lot more Monday. Selanne clinched the victory by flipping in a rebound for a power-play goal 15 minutes into the third period, allowing the Ducks to remain seventh in the Western Conference.

“The puck just follows him around the ice,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said.

This was the last NHL doormat the Ducks have on their schedule, with the remaining opponents all figuring in the Western Conference playoff race, starting in Calgary on Wednesday.

Perry managed an assist on the Ducks’ last goal, after a postgame scoring change. But he was held without a goal for only the second time in 10 games.

What mattered, though, was the two points the Ducks picked up.

“When you’re younger, you want to challenge yourself to see how many goals you can score, how many points you can get,” Selanne said. “When you’re older, you just want to win.”

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Selanne led the NHL in goals three times, winning the first Maurice Richard Trophy in 1998-99. It gives Selanne a unique perspective when watching Perry.

“He’s really hungry, trying to score a lot of goals to help the team win,” Selanne said. “He wants to make the playoffs more than scoring the most goals.”

In Selanne’s house, “the Stanley Cup is the only thing that matters.”

“People don’t realize how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup,” said Selanne, who was part of the Ducks’ Cup title in 2007. “First you have to be on a team that gets into the playoffs. So you got to be in the right place at the right time.

“Then you still have to get 16 wins and it’s a war every night.”

The Ducks could dab their brows and give a sigh of relief after the Avalanche outworked them through the first 10 minutes and led, 2-0, after one period.

Selanne went to work. He scored on a penalty shot and assisted on Jason Blake’s goal. Selanne showed young legs in getting the Ducks’ third goal, chasing down a clearing attempt and putting the puck on net.

“That was fun,” he said.

chris.foster@latimes.com

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