Hat trick overwhelms Ducks

There was zero chance that the “boooo” coming from the stands was a case of good-hearted hockey fans appreciating the natural hat trick by Florida’s David Booth.

The Ducks were well aware of that fact, as they were that a game that should have been a victory went in the loss column.

After weeks of reminding everyone that they can have a say in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Ducks sent a different message.

A 3-1 loss to the Panthers at the Honda Center left them with four days off to ponder consecutive losses that blunted some gains.

The Ducks were the better team. That was clear by the number of scoring chances they generated that required a highlight-reel performance by Florida goaltender Craig Anderson to turn away.

But the underlying theme in a quiet and edgy dressing room afterward was what the Ducks didn’t do.

“They were having a tough road trip so far, and they played last night in Phoenix,” goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. “If we would have played a solid first period, taken their will away, this night would have been different.”

And that is worrisome to Coach Randy Carlyle, who was already unhappy that his team turned in a listless performance in a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday, then watched the Ducks follow it up with a similar performance Sunday.

That type of play can get a team an early exit from a playoff series.

“In both games the execution left an awful lot to be desired,” Carlyle said. “Those are the things that concern us as a coaching staff.”

If the coaching staff is concerned, the Ducks’ players will be concerned, though not for two days since they won’t practice again until Wednesday.

That will give the Ducks time to mull a few facts.

The Panthers came into the game with a seven-game losing streak. They had the fewest points in the NHL and had the lowest goals-per-game average (2.15) in the league.

The Ducks had just had an 8-0-1 streak ended by the Stars, so Sunday’s game seemed a perfect time to start a new streak, especially after Corey Perry scored 1 minute 41 seconds into the game.

Then came nap time for the Ducks. By the time they awoke, the game was out of their hands.

“We didn’t start the way we wanted to, especially with a team coming in that played last night,” center Ryan Getzlaf said. “We have to be able to jump on them early. We didn’t stick with it.”

Booth did.

Four minutes into the first period, Giguere meandered too far from the net and Booth took advantage with a backhander to tie the score, 1-1.

When the Ducks’ Brian Sutherby couldn’t control the puck in the neutral zone, Booth capped a three-on-two with a goal for a 2-1 lead six minutes into the second period.

When Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer took an interference penalty in the Panthers’ zone, Booth parlayed that into a power-play goal, flicking the puck through traffic for a 3-1 lead 18 minutes into the second period, leaving Duck fans heckling their team.

“It’s unacceptable for us to play like that in front of our fans,” said Giguere, who made 23 saves.

The Ducks tried to play catchup, throwing 20 shots on net in the third period. But Anderson was on the money and by then the Ducks had already paid the price.

Said Carlyle: “In the NHL, it takes 60 minutes to win. We didn’t play 60 minutes.”

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chris.foster@latimes.com