(Sports Network) – Lubomir Visnovsky’s third goal of the game came with 3.8 seconds left in overtime as the Anaheim Ducks rallied for a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars at Honda Center.
In the extra session, Ryan Getzlaf, who finished the game with three assists, drew a left circle faceoff back to Visnovsky. The blueliner then took a stride to the high slot before unleashing a bomb into the back of the net for the win.
Visnovsky became the first defenseman in team history to record a hat trick while Teemu Selanne’s 400th goal with the team late in the third tied the game for the Ducks, who have won three straight, including the second straight overtime win.
Dan Ellis stopped 23 shots in the win for Anaheim, which now has 75 points and sits in a tie for the eighth spot in the Western Conference with Nashville.
“We need every point right now,” said Visnovsky. “It’s very important for our team. We were down by two goals and the team showed character. The confidence is going up for everybody. We played a good first period. The second was very bad for us. There were lots of turnovers. We started playing much better in the third period.”
Jamie Benn, Adam Burish, and Loui Eriksson all scored for the Stars, who had won their previous three games. Kari Lehtonen made 25 saves in the loss.
“It’s always tough to lose a game like that,” said Eriksson. “We were up 3-1 going into the third period and they tied it up there at the end. It is always a bad feeling when you lose, especially when you lose like this. Every point is so big right now, like you see in the conference.”
Trailing by two goals, Anaheim made it a one-goal game at the 5:24 mark of the third on the power play as a one-timer by Visnovsky at the top of the right circle off a feed from Visnovsky made it a 3-2 contest.
Just outside of a minute to play, the Ducks tied the game. Visnovsky sent a pass from the right point over to the left circle for Getzlaf, who then sent it to the slot where Selanne one-timed it home with 63 seconds left.
Visnovsky’s first goal of the game came 9:22 in for the only score of the opening period.
Dallas scored three times in the second period to take control of the game. Benn scored 2:23 in on his 15th goal of the season off a tip-in of an Alex Goligoski shot while Burish blasted a shot past Ellis from the right circle halfway through the frame.
Eriksson’s goal with 1:23 to play in the second on the power play gave Dallas a 3-1 lead.
Game Notes
Anaheim hosts Vancouver on Sunday…Dallas plays at San Jose on Saturday…Anaheim has taken three of the four games with Dallas this season…Anaheim went 2-for-3 on the power play while Dallas was 1-for-3…It was Visnovsky’s second hat trick of his career and the goal was Selanne’s 627th. He needs 13 to tie Dave Andreychuk for 13th all-time.