‘Go to the net’ is good advice as Ducks beat Oilers, 3-2

Teemu Selanne and Dustin Penner confronted desperate situations Sunday night, and the Ducks’ forwards each responded with productive poise, not panic.

After Selanne snapped his personal 19-game goal-less drought with a second-period goal, Penner answered an unexpected late tie with the last-place Edmonton Oilers by scoring the winning goal with three minutes 17 seconds left to give the Ducks a 3-2 victory at Honda Center.

“Maybe we weren’t as mentally sharp as in days past,” Penner said after the Ducks (23-7-5) had their first three-day break between games since Oct. 7-9. “Not an excuse, but maybe that’s why. We were able to find a way.”

The Ducks denied they were also looking ahead to Tuesday, when they start a four-game trip at Detroit. The Red Wings eliminated the Ducks in seven games in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

In dropping Edmonton further into the Western Conference cellar at 11-21-3, the Ducks improved to 13-0-2 at Honda Center and won their fifth consecutive game, while remaining unbeaten in regulation (6-0-2) in the last eight games.

Selanne, 43, said all the winning has eased the burden of his personal slump, which dated to Oct. 20.

Selanne said he was texting his retired Ducks line mate, high-scoring Paul Kariya, on Saturday night when some advice was given.

“Go to the net, good things happen,” Kariya texted.

“He knows,” said Selanne. “Maybe I haven’t done that enough. When you’re used to scoring those pretty goals, sometimes you don’t go to those ugly areas. You have to remind yourself where the goals are, that blue paint.”

The Ducks took a 2-1 lead when Selanne went toward the net and smacked in a back-handed pass from center Mathieu Perreault with 4:36 left in the second period.

Perreault had missed the last four games with a lower-body injury.

“Very good to see,” Perreault said of Selanne scoring again.

Selanne had taken 31 shots without a goal before breaking through for his fourth goal of the season and 679th of his career.

He said he was looking forward to texting Kariya back Sunday, “You were right. Again.”

Now 12-2 in his last 14 games against the Oilers, Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller (23 saves) worked to keep the advantage Selanne provided, but Edmonton center Sam Gagner pushed a backhanded shot through Hiller’s legs with 9:34 left in the third.

“We played a lot more desperate after they tied it up,” Penner said. “All four lines started going, especially our line.”

Penner’s 10th goal, wristed by Edmonton goalie and former Duck Ilya Bryzgalov, was assisted by center Ryan Getzlaf, who has now scored at least a point in the last 16 consecutive games he has played.

“It wasn’t the best game we played, but our character and our will took over,” said Corey Perry, whose seven-game streak of goals was stopped. “Those are the games you have to push through.”

Selanne’s goal came on the heels of the frustrated Ducks failing to capitalize on a five-minute penalty and game misconduct assessed on Oilers defenseman Corey Potter for checking Ducks center Nick Bonino face-first into the boards.

A suspension of Potter is possible.

Bonino, who scored the Ducks’ first goal, held his lower back in pain, and briefly left the ice before returning to play.

Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin returned from a 10-game absence because of injury. He was plus-two in goal differential while on the ice for 19:58, smartly flipping the puck up ice to allow the game’s final seconds to expire.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire

lower back in pain, and briefly left the ice before returning to play.

Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin returned from a 10-game absence because of injury. He was plus-two in goal differential while on the ice for 19:58, smartly flipping the puck up ice to allow the game’s final seconds to expire.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire