BUFFALO, N.Y. >> It was a long time coming. Four months in fact. Or even nearly 12 months.
The goal scorer that used to be Corey Perry reappeared in timely fashion Thursday night. The winger was the force for the Ducks, with his first two-goal game of the season powering them to a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
It was also Perry’s first two-goal game since his Feb. 28, 2016 hat trick against the Kings. His inability to fill the net has been a major storyline in his baffling season but it was also that on a much-needed starry night. It took all 56 games but the six-time 30-goal scorer finally reached double figures.
Add in an assist on Rickard Rakell’s tiebreaking score to open the third period and it was his second three-point night this season. And the Ducks (29-17-10) welcomed all of it in stopping a three-game losing streak and getting their first win on a six-game road trip.
“That’s more of the vintage Corey Perry that we’re accustomed to,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “And he’s had those opportunities but just hasn’t been able to find the back of the net. Tonight, he found the back of the net twice and made a nice play to set up Rickard Rakell.
“Those are the things that he’s done on a consistent basis through his career.”
Perry had scored only two goals in his previous 25 games but a stellar solo effort at the end of the first served as the springboard.
As the final seconds ticked off, the winger decisively won a puck battle with Buffalo’s Jake McCabe and skated around Cody Franson before he made an inside move on Evander Kane and put the puck between the pads of Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner.
“That’s kind of what I have to continue to do,” Perry said. “It’s kind of my game. Just grind down low and win battles and take the puck to the net. It wasn’t the hardest shot in the world but it found a way to go in.”
Sabres center Jack Eichel tied the game with a one-timer on the power play in the second but Perry was engaged throughout as he formed a dangerous teaming with Rakell, who was moved to center after playing left wing for the majority of this season.
Rakell got his team-leading 22nd goal in the opening minute of the third on a letter-perfect give-and-go play with Perry that ended with Rakell flinging the puck into an open net past Lehner from a sharp angle.
“He’s a great player,” Perry said. “You look at the one goal he scored, he made a great play through the neutral zone and dropped it to me. I found him back door. He knows how to get open. He knows where to go and he didn’t make a mistake on that one.”
Antoine Vermette added some insurance with a deflection of Brandon Montour’s point shot to end the Ducks’ drought on the power play. The Ducks had gone 0 for 12 in their three road losses and came up empty on their first two tries Thursday before converting.
But this was about Perry snapping out of a season-long slump and offering hope that better days lie ahead. His second goal came on a rebound, the type of goal he’s long been accustomed to scoring.
“He’s a wild card,” Vermette said. “This is a dangerous player all his career. We know that. He’s very dangerous. He’s got that knack around that net. If he gets going, we know how hot he can be and how dangerous he can be.”
All the winger focused on afterward was a necessary win, with games at powerful Washington and Minnesota ahead.
“If the team’s winning, I don’t care,” Perry said. “If we’re struggling, it falls on the leader core. That’s when you have to step up and prove to everybody that you are a leader on this team. You have to accept what’s going on.”
John Gibson made 22 saves and got enough offensive support to snap a two-start losing streak. Gibson had to leave the game for nearly six minutes to open the second because of a skate issue.
Andrew Cogliano added an empty-net goal in the final minute to cap the scoring.
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