Ducks 2, Sharks 0

Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 20 saves in his first shutout of the season, and Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan each scored goals for the Ducks in a 2-0 victory over San Jose on Tuesday night.

Giguere's shutout was the 26th of his career for the Ducks, who beat San Jose for the third time in four meetings this season. Scott Niedermayer picked up an assist in his second game since returning to the Ducks, leading a strong defensive game to shut out the Sharks for the first time all season.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Rob Davison (5) is unable to score past Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35) in the first period on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007, in San Jose, CA. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Two nights after Joe Thornton's shootout goal beat the Ducks in Anaheim, the clubs traded punches and hard checks in another entertaining chapter in one of the NHL's most competitive rivalries. The California clubs, whose previous three meetings all went to shootouts, will get their third matchup in seven days Saturday night in San Jose.

Evgeni Nabokov stopped 14 shots for the Sharks, who have lost two of three straight key division games to fall out of first place.

Anaheim won for just the second time in six games, while San Jose lost for only the third time in 10.

Mike Grier, the Sharks' top defensive forward, twice came agonizingly close to scoring midway through the first period - the first time on a breakaway, and the second time when his rebound shot skittered along the goal line before two Ducks saved it behind Giguere.

Perry scored early in the second period when San Jose defenseman Doug Murray lost track of him, allowing Chris Kunitz to hit him with a perfect cross-ice pass. Ryan scored on a similar rush late in the second period, converting Todd Marchant's pass behind Murray.

The teams played a chippy game in Anaheim two nights earlier, and the bad feelings continued when San Jose's Kyle McLaren crushed Francois Beauchemin with a second-period check. Anaheim enforcer George Parros won a fight with Rob Davison moments earlier, and the two spent part of their time in the penalty box yelling at each other through the gaps in the glass.

Notes: Sharks D Matt Carle was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in five games. Coach Ron Wilson has been unhappy with the former Hobey Baker Award winner's inconsistent play. ... Anaheim D Kent Huskins returned to the lineup after missing six games with a bruised knee. Shane Hnidy was scratched. ... San Jose, which has the NHL's best road record, fell to 6-8-2 at home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.