What we learned from the Ducks’ shootout win over the Panthers

A night that started out with yet another loss of a forward ended in celebration for the Ducks, who channeled their third-period heroics from last season in a 3-2 shootout win Wednesday against the Florida Panthers.

Here’s what we learned:

Corey Perry will not go an entire season without scoring

It only seemed like that because Perry couldn’t buy a goal in his first 11 games, his longest such streak since an 11-game drought in 2012-13.

Perry buried a loose puck from the left side with 5.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. The relief was evident in his prone body and look up to the rafters.

“There’s a lot of frustration in the first couple of games and it adds up after a while and it found a way,” Perry said.

Timeliness?

“It showed up when we needed him the most to tie the game,” Chris Stewart said. “Big players always score big goals.”

The comeback kids made an appearance

Remember when the Ducks set an NHL record with 18 wins when trailing at any point in the third period last season? That’s the same team that was 0-5-0 when trailing after two periods this season before Wednesday.

“Hopefully, it gives them a little more confidence as we’re going forward,” Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said.

It was the first time the Ducks won back-to-back games this season. They outshot a well-structured Florida team 39-25, showed more of a forecheck and got another stellar game from goalie Frederik Andersen, who shook off a soft goal in the second period and stopped a two-on-none in overtime.

“It was amazing,” Stewart said. “He was probably a little [upset] with that second goal that he had and he probably wanted that one back … he really bailed the boys out tonight.”

The Ducks are hurting right down the middle

Rickard Rakell became the second Ducks center to be injured or hospitalized in a week when he left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury. Replays showed that he was hit by Florida defenseman Alex Petrovic near the blue line.

Boudreau did not have an update.

The Ducks are already without top line center Ryan Getzlaf because of an appendectomy, although he could return this weekend. But with right wing Jiri Sekac on injured reserve, the Ducks will likely have to recall a forward if only for depth reasons.