Ducks Conclude Road Trip with Big 3-2 Shootout Win

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Bruce Boudreau was pleased with the results of the Ducks' eight-game road trip.

Saku Koivu scored the only goal in the shootout as the Ducks earned a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, finishing the road trip with a 5-1-2 record.

It was the first road win in extra time this season for the Ducks, who are 2-22-2 when trailing after two periods.

"We could have won all eight, you know?" said Boudreau, who joined the Ducks as coach on Nov. 29 after Randy Carlyle was fired and is 19-12-6.

"We outplayed Detroit, we outplayed New Jersey, and I think we outplayed Tampa (Wednesday) night.

"I was really hoping we could reach 60 points and still be in the hunt (the Ducks have 62). To get more than that was really great."

Corey Perry, who scored his 30th goal for his third career 30-goal season, and Luca Sbisa scored in regulation for Anaheim while Jerome Samson and Jamie McBain scored for Carolina.

Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller (23-20-10) had 30 saves.

"I kind of saw we weren't playing our best game tonight and the guys looked a little tired," Hiller said. "That was not too surprising after such a long trip. (Carolina) had a couple of really good chances - odd-man rushes and two-on-ones - and I just didn't want to get scored on. We played better in the third and that changed the game around."

Carolina goalie Justin Peters (35 saves) started his second straight game and played in his fourth straight as Cam Ward remained out with a lower-body injury.

The Hurricanes' Jiri Tlusty assisted on Samson's goal to extend his scoring streak to nine games, two short of the longest streak since the club moved to North Carolina from Hartford, Conn., in 1997.

Eric Staal assisted on Samson's first-period goal, extending his scoring streak to seven games and his assist streak to six.

"I'm pretty happy with our group because (Anaheim) is a good hockey team," said Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller, also a midseason replacement for Paul Maurice who was fired Nov. 28.

"They're big. They're one of the hottest teams in the league right now."

Carolina led 1-0 and 2-1 before Perry got the tying goal on a power play at 9:35 of the third period, picking his rebound out of the air and flipping the puck over Peters' left shoulder.

The goal came on the third of four third-period power plays for Anaheim.

"One was bound to go in (on the power play)," Perry said. "We were shooting a lot of chances. You keep working on it and it's going to come. I just went up in the air and my first instinct is to hit it. It fluttered over his shoulder and found a way in."

NOTES: Hurricanes radio broadcaster Chuck Kaiton called his 2,900th NHL game. ... It was the second game of the Hurricanes' six-game homestand. ... Carolina RW Tuomo Ruutu (upper body), who signed a four-year contract on Wednesday, was scratched for his fourth straight game. ... Also scratched for the fourth straight time was Hurricanes RW Chad LaRose (upper body). ... D Kyle Cumiskey and RW George Parros were healthy scratches for Anaheim. ... C Koivu played in his 199th game with the Ducks. ... The Ducks won the teams' earlier meeting 3-2 in overtime on Feb. 8 in Anaheim.