Anaheim Ducks Rout Stars, Lead Series 3-2

Apr 25, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center

(67) celebrates with left wing

(65) after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

After sitting out Game 4 with an upper-body injury, Ryan Getzlaf‘s return for Game 5 got off to a rough start.

But just like the old saying goes, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

An early Getzlaf turnover led to Dallas’ first goal, but the captain bounced back and took over with a goal and two assists as the Anaheim Ducks rolled past the Stars 6-2 to take a 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 6 will be in Dallas on Sunday. Anaheim is one win away from moving on to the second round.

With the Ducks up 4-2 early in the third, Getzlaf would add his third goal of the postseason to put the game away and bring the Honda Center crowd to its’ feet in a frenzy as Stars’ goalie Kari Lehtonen was pulled immediately.

Lehtonen was replaced by Tim Thomas, but Corey Perry would add one more to push the lead to 6-2.

Perry’s goal would conclude a stretch where Anaheim scored three goals in a span of seven minutes to stun the Stars.

Just like in Game 4, the Ducks got off to a roaring start. Nick Bonino scored his first goal of the playoffs, putting a shot past Lehtonen on the power play.

Minutes later, Ryan Garbutt speared Corey Perry and was called for a 5:00 minute major and a game misconduct. But Jamie Benn would take advantage of Getzlaf’s mishandling of the puck and scored shorthanded to knot the game at 1-1.

26 seconds later, Rickard Rakell would give the Ducks the lead right back after he deflected a Francois Beauchemin slap shot into the back of the net.

The goal was Rakell’s first career goal and he became the first player in Ducks history to have his first career goal be a playoff goal.

Anaheim would get called for a few penalties later in the frame, but would hold serve.

In an eventful second period, the Ducks capitalized after starting on the power play as a counterattack led to a 2-on-1 as Getzlaf fed Mathieu Perreault who sent it home to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

Nearly five minutes later, the craziness started. Antoine Roussel and Emerson Etem would be called for 10-minute misconduct penalties following a scrum. Roussel was visibly frustrated as he broke his stick in the penalty box.

At that point, the Stars started to turn the tide. Shawn Horcoff cut the deficit to 3-2 after pounded home  a rebound off Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen. Dallas would take control of the rest of the period and out-shot the Ducks 16-10.

After the horn to end the second period, it was all Ducks all the time in the third period.

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