Ducks rally for eighth win in a row, 5-3

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Riding a long winning streak, the Ducks had no fear trailing by two goals heading into the third period Saturday against the New York Islanders.

Ryan Getzlaf scored three goals and the Ducks scored four times in the third period for their team-record eighth consecutive win, 5-3.

“We talked after the second of just continuing to play our game,” Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We were very calm about it and knew if we got one quickly, we’d have a great chance.”

BOX SCORE: Ducks 5, New York Islanders 3

The Islanders played a spirited first two periods, taking their lead on two goals by Thomas Vanek and another by Frans Nielsen.

But Getzlaf scored his second of the game at 1:10 of the final period and Mathieu Perreault tied it at 10:32.

Kyle Palmieri, a native of Montvale, N.J., who scored the overtime winner Friday night against the New Jersey Devils, found himself in front of Evgeni Nabokov with a clear shot at 13:44. The 22-year-old forward, who also scored the winning goal when the Ducks beat the Rangers, 2-1, at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4, knocked in his sixth goal of the season.

“Those goals feel really, really good,” Palmieri said. “We find ways to win and tonight was another example of our patience and skill.”

Getzlaf completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal. The Ducks won in their first visit to Long Island since a 3-2 loss on Dec. 16, 2010.

“We didn’t move the puck the way we should have in the third period,” Islanders Coach Jack Capuano said. “You can’t play the way we played in the third period against a big Stanley Cup-caliber team like this. It won’t work.”

Vanek finally had the type of game the Islanders envisioned when they acquired him from Buffalo for popular left wing Matt Moulson on Oct. 27.

The Austrian right wing opened the scoring at 11:27 of the first, putting a rebound past backup goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made 18 saves to improve to 9-1.

After Getzlaf tied the score at 15:10 of the second, Vanek gave the Islanders the lead again with a perfectly placed shot as he sped down the right side, beating Andersen to his stick side at 17:55.

The goal was Vanek’s ninth since joining the Islanders and his third in two nights. Nielsen made it 3-1 for the Islanders 57 seconds later.

“It came down to execution,” Capuano said. “We were icing the puck too much and not making plays when we had to in the third period.”

Ducks forward Teemu Selanne was a healthy scratch. The 43-year-old Selanne played Friday night as the Ducks upended the Devils in overtime.