Three Ducks outwit Coyotes

More an ensemble effort this season than last, the Ducks have been able to wait patiently while their power trio gets in tune with each other.

Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald and Teemu Selanne were in rhythm Sunday night, producing a beat that overwhelmed the Phoenix Coyotes as they accounted for all five of the Ducks’ even-strength goals in a 6-4 victory in front of an announced 16,394 at the Honda Center.

Kunitz had his first hat trick, McDonald had two goals and two assists and Selanne had five assists for the first time in his long career, tying a club record. The three accounted for 13 points.

“Tonight is probably the first night this season that we all really got it clicking,” said Kunitz, who has a team-leading 13 goals. “It felt like we had chances on most shifts out there. We’ve done it most nights, but sometimes the puck falls a little better on certain nights.”

The Ducks needed that burst to avoid defeat to another of the league’s lightweights. They opened their five-game homestand with a victory over Minnesota, a first-place team, before losing consecutive games to lowly Philadelphia and Chicago, the latter via a shootout.

Leave it to the last-place Coyotes to provide the cure for what had been ailing the Ducks. The Ducks have won 10 of 11 meetings since Wayne Gretzky became Phoenix’s coach last season, with the only loss coming in a shootout.

The Ducks now take on San Jose on Tuesday in the first meeting this season against the team they figure to battle for the Pacific Division title.

“We haven’t played very good,” Selanne said. “If we play a game like this Tuesday, we are in trouble. Seriously, we are in trouble.”

For a night, the Ducks were content to ride their top line. Kunitz got the winner at 9 minutes 21 seconds of the third period when he redirected a shot by Selanne past Curtis Joseph seconds after Coyotes forward Dave Scatchard left the penalty box.

Selanne also set up McDonald’s goals in the first period, and the two teamed to take care of their line mate twice in the second.

Rob Niedermayer had an empty-net goal, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 24 saves for his 11th victory.

“They get a lot of opportunities to play in offensive situations, so it’s kind of expected of them,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “Tonight was one of those where a lot of things they did worked out for them.”

Kunitz’s hat trick was the first by a Duck since Jan. 9, when Jonathan Hedstrom got three against the Kings. Selanne had the seventh five-point game of his career and the five assists matched the team record set by Dimitri Mironov on Dec. 12, 1997.

“It’s a funny game,” McDonald said. “I think there were other games in the first 21 where we might have even played better and had more chances. For whatever reason, tonight we all seemed to peak at the right time.”

There are still some issues to be worked out. Two nights after blowing a 3-1 lead against Chicago, the Ducks couldn’t hold on to another two-goal advantage and they didn’t lose sight of that fact afterward.

Kunitz put them up, 4-2, in the second period but Georges Laraque scored the Coyotes’ third power-play goal late in the second period and Mike Zigomanis tied it two minutes into the third.

“As a coach, you’re very concerned about that, especially the manner in which we did it,” Carlyle said.

“In the end, we found a way to get it done. We’re on the right side of the score, so you can’t be as critical. But we are critical of it.”

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The Ducks are expected to send defenseman Ian Moran to their minor league affiliate in Portland, Maine, although Moran would have to clear waivers first.

Moran, who has struggled to return from knee surgery last November, has been a healthy scratch in all but one game this season.

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eric.stephens@latimes.com