Ducks enjoy initial success

Petteri Wirtanen was the Ducks’ final cut out of training camp before they departed for London last month. Drew Miller figured to head overseas with the parent club only to lose his seat on the charter during a less-than-impressive camp.

Given another chance to prove themselves when the games really counted, the youngsters didn’t fail.

Wirtanen and Miller each scored their first NHL goal in the third period to lift the Ducks to a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators before a sellout crowd of 17,174 Wednesday night at the Honda Center.

The decisive goals came from players with virtually no experience. It was Wirtanen’s debut and he became the ninth Anaheim player to score in his first game. Miller has played in six NHL games -- three in this regular season and three during last season’s playoffs.

“The contribution was greater tonight than what could be normally expected of them,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “It’s a feather in their cap. Of course, they’re big goals. I don’t think any first goal in the NHL isn’t big.”

Wirtanen, who was playing because Todd Marchant was out with an ankle injury, admitted to being nervous before the game but he didn’t show it on the game-winner at 4:47 of the third.

Ducks enforcer George Parros showed off some play-making skills when he slid a pass back to the 21-year-old center, who tipped the puck around Nashville defenseman Greg de Vries. Wirtanen controlled it and faked goalie Chris Mason to the ice before putting it by him to make it 2-1.

“It’s a moment that I can’t imagine,” Wirtanen said. “The chance came and I just put it in. It felt awesome.”

Miller got his goal on a breakaway with 7:37 left after failing on a golden chance in the second period.

“After I missed that one in the second period, [Petteri] said, ‘I was already standing up, I thought for sure you were going to score,’ ” Miller said. “Then he gets his goal, so I couldn’t let him show me up so I had to get the other one.”

The Ducks (4-4-1) took three of four games on the homestand. After a two-game trip to Dallas and St. Louis, the Ducks will play seven of their next eight at home, where they were 26-6-9 last season.

“It’s important to show that we’re going to be a good home team again this year,” Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. “You’ve got to win your home games.

“Hopefully the two wins we’ve got the last couple of games will give us a little bit of confidence for the two big games coming up on the road.”

Nashville has a much different look from the team that recorded a franchise-record 110 points in 2006-07. Gone are forwards Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg and Scott Hartnell, along with former captain Kimmo Timonen.

There are still some offensive pieces but the remade Predators only managed a third-period goal by defenseman Ryan Suter against Giguere, who made 28 saves in his second start back from sports hernia surgery.

David Legwand was robbed twice by the veteran. In the second period, Giguere got caught out of position after making one save but he reached back with his stick and made a stop on the Nashville center that denied a certain goal.

With the Ducks holding onto a one-goal lead in the third, Giguere foiled Legwand again on a breakaway attempt.

“Those are the things where you rely on your goaltender and he delivered,” Carlyle said.

eric.stephens@latimes.com