Ducks fall to Carolina in shootout; winless skid reaches three games

RALEIGH, N.C. — Winless in shootouts this season, the Carolina Hurricanes weren’t optimistic when Friday’s game against the Ducks was tied after 65 minutes.

But Chris Terry helped the Hurricanes end their homestand successfully, scoring the game-winner in the shootout to lift Carolina to a 3-2 victory.

Corey Perry had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, and Dustin Penner also scored. In his first game since being activated from injured reserve Thursday, Viktor Fasth stopped 21 shots.

GAME SUMMARY: Hurricanes 3, Ducks 2 (SO)

After a nine-game stretch in which they went 8-0-1, the Ducks have lost three in a row. They still lead the NHL with 32 points.

“I think we played pretty well tonight,” the Ducks’ Teemu Selanne said. “The last two games, we haven’t been at the level where we should be, so we’re going in the right direction.”

Perry and Carolina’s Riley Nash scored in the shootout before Terry won it when he skated quickly at Fasth and made a move before going to his backhand for the goal.

“It’s a different kind of way to help the team, but nonetheless, we got the two points,” Terry said.

With the win, Carolina improved to 3-10 in shootouts since the start of the 2011-12 season.

“Obviously, the confidence wasn’t very high going into shootouts,” Carolina’s Jordan Staal said. “There’s a fine line in those shootouts — things can go right and wrong pretty quickly. We’re glad we got the upper hand tonight.”

Eric Staal and Drayson Bowman scored for Carolina in regulation, and Justin Peters made 28 saves.

Peters, who is filling in for the injured Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin, helped Carolina conclude a 4-0-1 homestand by making 138 saves in 144 shots in the five games.

Penner’s goal with a one-timer on the power play tied the score at 2-2 at 7:18 of the third period. Penner’s stick broke on the play, but the puck fluttered into the net.

The Ducks entered the game ranked 28th on the power play, having scored eight goals. Only two of those had come on the road.

Carolina took a 2-1 lead 3:01 into the third period when Bowman collected the puck off the boards and charged the net, shoveling the puck past Fasth after he skated along the goal line.

After the first 38 minutes had few scoring chances, both teams struck in the final two minutes of the second period — first Perry, then Eric Staal, who deflected Alexander Semin’s shot past Fasth on the power play with just 17 seconds left.

“We knew he fakes and fakes and fakes and fakes,” said Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau, who coached Semin in Washington. “I think our young penalty killers bit too easily on him there. They hadn’t seen him play before.”