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Ducks’ line like fine wine

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Times Staff Writer

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Todd Bertuzzi wouldn’t go so far as to say that the chemistry he has going with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry reminds him of his Vancouver days when he tore up the NHL with Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison.

But now that Bertuzzi is piling up the points along with his current linemates, the three are as hot a trio as there is in the league. They combined for three goals and six assists in the Ducks’ 4-2 victory Friday night over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Bertuzzi got his first two-goal game with the Ducks and his second three-point night in five games. Perry added his team-leading 26th goal and two assists, and Getzlaf got his second three-assist night of the season as the Ducks extended their season-high winning streak to six games.

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How hot are they? Bertuzzi has five goals and 12 points in his last six games, Perry has six goals and 13 points in his last seven and Getzlaf has a 13-game scoring streak in which he has totaled 20 points.

Bertuzzi’s resurgence as an imposing power forward is what is exciting the Ducks these days.

“The chemistry we have between the three of us, it’s working right now,” Perry said. “He’s played well and we’re playing well. We’re all clicking and we’re on the same page right now. Now that he’s healthy and going, we know what he can do.”

It was only a few months ago when Ducks General Manager Brian Burke was heavily criticized for taking what many thought was an unwise $8-million gamble on Bertuzzi.

At the moment, it’s looking more and more like a sound investment.

“Burkie knew what he was getting when he signed Bert,” Getzlaf said. “He knew him fairly well from when they were in Vancouver and we were excited to have him.

“A healthy Bert is a great player. He’s great for our line and we love to play with him.”

Bertuzzi did his best to temper the enthusiasm.

“We’ve got to put things in perspective,” he said. “We’ve got to play like that each and every night. I think we can’t afford to take any time off.”

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The beat keeps going on for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks (27-17-6), who have picked up points in their last nine games.

Bertuzzi finished off a three-on-one break with Getzlaf and Perry in the first period and Perry rifled a slap shot past Minnesota goalie Josh Harding at the 4-minute 2-second mark of the second. Chris Pronger, playing on a bum knee he injured Thursday night in Nashville, added a power-play goal two minutes later for a 3-0 lead.

Rookie Jonas Hiller looked shaky in goal early and it appeared he might get rattled when Nick Schultz and Mikko Koivu scored 14 seconds apart in the second to cut the lead to 3-2 and ignite the overflow crowd of 18,568. Koivu’s goal was particularly bad as Hiller let an unscreened shot from 35 feet get between his legs.

But Hiller regained his composure and helped put the Ducks back on solid footing by making 25 saves in his 11th start in place of Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

“It’s important for any goalie’s psyche,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “That’s the life of a backup. He’s going to have to play the second half of a back-to-back and he’s going to have to go in there and give you a chance to win on the road.”

Bertuzzi restored order when he put a sharp-angle shot between Harding’s pads for his 11th goal midway through the third period.

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eric.stephens@latimes.com

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