Young players falling in line

Six games ago, Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle decided to give the kids another shot and this time it might work.

Second-year forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry had been on the same line all season but rookie Dustin Penner had been a rare occupant on the left side until Carlyle put them together for a Feb. 27 game at San Jose.

Penner scored twice in an important victory over the Sharks and the young winger has clicked with his linemates. The trio had their best game as a unit Friday night, combining for four goals and six points in the Ducks’ 5-1 victory over Edmonton.

Perry said the three have begun to recreate some of the chemistry they had playing together with the Portland Pirates, the Ducks’ American Hockey League team in Maine.

“When you practice with three guys on a regular basis, it’s always an added bonus,” he said. “You get to know where everybody is going to be on the ice.”

Penner, who has six goals in the last six games, is second on the team with 25 goals, Getzlaf is third with 23 and Perry has chipped in 15. They’ve given opponents a bona fide second line to worry about besides the Teemu Selanne-Andy McDonald-Chris Kunitz trio.

Scott Niedermayer said the youngsters’ continued production takes some pressure off the top line and their development will be key for the postseason.

“Your goal is to be in there for a while,” Niedermayer said. “It’s tough for one group of players to carry the load the whole way. You need different lines to step up at different times.

“They’re a line that’s carrying the load for us for this little while.”

Getzlaf acknowledged they have to play with some consistency to stay together.

“Right now, you’ve got to prove yourself every time you step out on the ice,” he said.

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Carlyle said he planned to give backup goalie Ilya Bryzgalov spot duty over the last four weeks of the regular season. Bryzgalov made 28 saves against Edmonton for his second victory in his last three starts.

“It doesn’t make sense to not play your goalie in these situations we’ve put ourselves in,” Carlyle said. “We know that there’s three games a week here before we head out on the road.

“I would expect we’d like to use our goaltenders in a logical way. It’s just common sense.”

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TODAY

vs. Vancouver, 5 p.m., Ch. 56

Site -- Honda Center.

Radio -- 830.

Records -- Ducks 41-17-11; Canucks 41-22-5.

Record vs. Canucks -- 2-0-1.

Update -- Carlyle said center Todd Marchant (abdominal strain) may resume practicing early next week. Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo won his 39th game Friday to surpass the team record set by Kirk McLean in the 1991-92 season.

Tickets -- (877) 945-3946.

eric.stephens@latimes.com