Ducks take advantage of slumping Capitals in 5-2 rout

The plea went out to the Ducks before they took the ice, and it came from the top.

Ducks owner Henry Samueli was in a playful mood in an hourlong ceremony for the 10th anniversary of the Ducks’ Stanley Cup win Sunday at Honda Center.

But there was a strain of firmness when he turned to members of that 2007 team and asked them to deliver a message. “Can you please rub shoulders with some of the guys in that locker room, so some of that fairy dust will rub off on them?” Samueli said.

Leave it to ’07 members Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf to pick up handfuls of that dust in a 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals.

Perry scored his 13th and 14th goals and Getzlaf had a goal and two assists, all in front of their former teammates. “For them to be here and see the game, and play the way we did, it’s definitely a great feeling for everybody,” Perry said.

There was magic left over in the form of Rickard Rakell’s 29th goal and Ryan Kesler’s 20th goal as the Ducks leapt past the idle Calgary Flames for second place in the Pacific Division.

Perry’s uptick underlined the win. In a disappointing season that’s well off his usual 30-goal pace, Perry’s three goals in three games equal his total in the previous 18 games.

“It was starting to come,” Perry said. “I was getting chances, and those things — it’s a matter of time. You want to finish on a high and continue to play the way we’re playing.”

Perry stole Lars Eller’s pass in the corner, drove to the net and outwaited Capitals goalie Braden Holtby to start the scoring in the second period.

“That’s the Corey Perry of old — taking the puck to the net like he did out of the corner,” said Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle, who got his 400th career win. “He kind of wormed his way to the front. ... It’s funny how the game goes. The bounces weren’t going his way, now he’s starting to get a few. He’s worked real hard. He’s stayed with it. He stayed focused.”

Perry’s second goal was a tip of Kesler’s shot. Rakell made it 3-0 with a quick shot off a faceoff won by Getzlaf.

Kesler tapped in Jakob Silfverberg’s pass on a rush to clinch his fourth straight 20-goal season and ninth of his career. Kesler was happier for his line to break out.

“My line— we’ve been pushing for a while here,” Kesler said. “We haven’t had the puck luck and it’s nice. Our line needed that one.”

Gibson update

Carlyle said goalie John Gibson has a different lower-body injury than the previous one. Gibson did not dress Sunday and remains day-to-day, the team announced.

Gibson returned from his initial injury Friday but Carlyle said “after the play he just didn’t feel right.”

Jonathan Bernier got his 13th win. Jhonas Enroth was recalled as backup.

Cup reunion

Camaraderie and gentle teasing were the theme in the informal parts of the ceremony.

Travis Moen told a story about missing a team bus because teammate and roommate Ilya Bryzgalov incorrectly set the alarm. Former Ducks general manager Brian Burke called out Teemu Selanne for the loud T-shirt Selanne wore for the Cup tribute video.

But Selanne got the last word when he needled Burke for his trademark untied necktie.

“That was ‘in’ in Finland 30 years ago,” Selanne said.

Selanne and his ’07 teammates later said the best part of the reunion was the fraternal bond.

“This is the stuff you miss the most — the camaraderie, the stories, the busting chops,” Sean O’ Donnell said.

“If we had an alumni game, I wouldn’t look forward to that as much as the stuff we’re doing right now.”

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