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Ducks flop in homecoming, 4-2

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Times Staff Writer

Solving the Dallas Stars is becoming a much harder task for the Ducks than navigating the longest continuous trip in franchise history.

After coming home with a five-game winning streak to cap their eight-game, 15-day journey across three time zones, the Ducks looked forward to seven consecutive games at the Honda Center to build on the momentum.

The Stars built on their lead in the Pacific Division instead as they rode three power-play goals to a 4-2 victory for their fifth win against the Stanley Cup champions in six tries.

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Light-scoring defenseman Stephane Robidas provided the big lift for Dallas (36-21-5) with the first two-goal game of his career and the Stars bounced back after having their seven-game winning streak end Thursday against Phoenix.

Marty Turco made 20 saves as the Stars extended their lead in the Pacific to six points over the Ducks (32-23-7) and seven over third-place San Jose.

“We’re in a dogfight,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “If you look at the number of games in hand that teams have on us [and] where we’re positioned, we have got to continue to have success. We’ve got to get points.”

In their five wins thus far in the series, Dallas (36-21-5) has scored nine power-play goals in 22 opportunities.

“They’ve hurt us that way this year,” said Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who made 17 saves. “Five on five, you’re not going to get much against them. And five on five, you’re not going to get much against us.

“So far this year, they’ve been better than us in the special teams.”

Two of the Stars’ goals came with a five-on-three advantage, turning the game around after the Ducks started out with plenty of energy that resulted in the first of Chris Kunitz’s two goals just 3:51 into the game.

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Mike Ribeiro converted on a two-man advantage late in the first period after Mathieu Schneider and Samuel Pahlsson were whistled for roughing penalties just 12 seconds apart.

Robidas broke a 1-1 tie when he used Ducks center Pahlsson as a screen in front of Giguere and ripped a slap shot above the goalie’s glove while Ryan Getzlaf was in the penalty box for hooking.

“We weren’t disciplined enough to win the game,” Giguere said. “I think we got carried away with our emotions.”

The back breaker came late in the period when the Ducks paid another price for their misdeeds.

Travis Moen and Francois Beauchemin picked up cross-checking penalties just 32 seconds apart to give the Stars another sizable two-man advantage.

Robidas took another slap shot from the point and it went through Giguere’s pads this time for one of the biggest moments in his eight-year career.

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Carlyle took issue with Pahlsson’s penalty in the first.

“On the Beauchemin call, I thought we should have had better restraint,” Carlyle said. “The player was in a vulnerable position and he cross-checked him. Pahlsson was a little bit different from the standpoint that he got held up and he just pushed back at the player. He didn’t punch him or do anything.”

Kunitz made it interesting when he scored off the foot of Dallas defenseman Nicklas Grossman with 8:32 remaining. But Steve Ott finished off the Ducks with an empty-net goal.

“We knew that the first game is always tough coming off a road trip, but still it’s disappointing,” said Ducks forward Teemu Selanne, playing his first home game after coming out of his unofficial retirement. “The bottom line is, really, we didn’t play good enough.”

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eric.stephens@latimes.com

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ON THE WEB

Wrong approach: Doug Weight says he shouldn’t have tried to play through shoulder injury. Go to latimes.com/ducks.

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