The Anaheim Ducks got off their heels and back on track just in time to stay ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.
Bobby Ryan scored his second goal 27 seconds after Vancouver closed within one early in the third period, and it stood up as the game winner as Anaheim snapped Vancouver's six-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night.
''It was huge to respond after our line had just been scored on and Burrows pulled them within a goal,'' Ryan said. ''You can respond one of two ways: You can cower and play a tight defensive game, or you can go on the attack.''
Ryan did the latter on the winner 6:10 into the third, driving to the net to snap Teemu Selanne's cross-ice feed under the pad of sliding Cory Schneider.
Jason Blake opened the scoring 56 seconds in, Brandon McMillan doubled the lead 3:26 into the second period and Ryan scored his first goal 46 seconds later to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead.
Daniel Sedin put Vancouver on the board 7:22 into the second period, and by the time Burrows scored his 100th career goal 5:42 into the third, the Ducks had only one shot on goal since Ryan scored his first.
''They are going to charge at you, we know that, but we were guilty of standing around trying to make plays, too,'' Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. ''We have a tendency to keep things exciting right to the end.''
Selanne had two assists, and Curtis McElhinney made 35 saves as Anaheim won for the fourth time in five games to move four points ahead of ninth-place Los Angeles in the Western Conference playoff race. The Ducks have taken five of six points this season from the Canucks, who lost in regulation at home for the first time since Dec. 5. They now lead the West by nine points over Detroit.
''This building has been a nightmare for a lot of teams, so we've got to feel good,'' Carlyle said.
Ryan Kesler scored with 20.2 seconds left for the Canucks, who lost in regulation for the first time in 10 games. It was Vancouver's third regulation defeat in 30 games over two-plus months, but it could prove to be costly.
Defenseman Dan Hamhuis left early in the third after his head bounced hard off the end glass following a shoulder hit by Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. Hamhuis lay flat on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the dressing room. Fellow Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard sprained his knee on Monday.
''I don't want to hurt anybody out there,'' said Getzlaf, who also had an assist in his first game back after missing six weeks because of nasal sinus fractures. ''I didn't leave my feet, I kept my shoulder down and he was just following through on a pass. It was an unfortunate accident. He turned as he made his pass, and he was well aware that I was coming.''
Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said Hamhuis seemed fine in the locker room after the game, but insisted he didn't see the hit and wouldn't comment on it.
''Dan has the glass plastered to his face right now,'' he said. ''This is a physical game, a big man hitting a defenseman, it's part of the game.''
Canucks backup goalie Cory Schneider made 20 saves in his second start in three weeks ahead of Roberto Luongo, but didn't get a lot of defensive help.
Blake was behind the defense in the opening minute to fight off a check before firing a shot past Schneider's blocker. McMillan got behind Henrik Sedin's backcheck to redirect Dan Sexton's pass out of the corner 3:26 into the second, and Anaheim's top line combined to make it 3-0 on the next shift.
Perry sent Getzlaf in on a 2-on-1 and he made a spinning blind backhand pass in the slot that stranded Schneider and left Ryan with an unguarded net.
''I was the only one in the building that knew that one was coming,'' Ryan said. ''That's why he's one of the best playmakers in the league.''
NOTES: Anaheim was 10-4 without Getzlaf after he took a puck in the face during a game on Dec. 28 game. ... Canucks LW Aaron Volpatti replaced smaller Jeff Tambellini for added grit and toughness on the fourth line. Rookie D Chris Tanev took the place of Ballard, who will be out 3-to-4 weeks.
