The vision the Ducks and their renewed television partner have about hockey in Southern California is grand, but Corey Perry is exceeding anything discussed in the script.
Perry and the Ducks are only seven games into the season, but the high-scoring right wing already has two hat tricks and an NHL-high eight goals, tied with Rick Nash of the New York Rangers.
By winning a sixth consecutive game, 4-1 over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, the Ducks continue to propel the upward spike in hockey interest around Southern California.
The Kings’ two Stanley Cups in the last three seasons have been the largest boost, but so has interest in the stiff challenge presented by the talented, rival neighbor in Anaheim, where the Ducks have won two straight Pacific Division titles and produced the Western Conference’s best regular-season record last season.
“Things are going well. The whole team has been playing well, it’s not just me,” Perry said after following a first-period goal with a third-period blast and an empty net capper. “Good things are happening.”
Confident the success train will keep rolling, Prime Ticket on Monday struck a massive 10-year television rights deal with the Ducks that a source close to negotiations called “comparable” in annual value to the 12-year agreementthat FS West and the Kings signed two years ago.
The Times reported the Kings’ deal to be worth $21 million annually.
In the first game since the deal was signed Monday, the investment began with Perry and the Ducks’ top assets playing leading roles.
In taking a 1-0 lead, center Ryan Getzlaf assisted Perry. Both fixtures are under contract for seven seasons.
Second-year goalie Frederik Andersen extended his scoreless streak to 152 minutes 46 seconds before surrendering a late third-period goal to center Tyler Ennis. He’s the only NHL goalie to win 26 of his first 31 starts.
And Anaheim’s major off-season acquisition Ryan Kesler, the player brought to pursue a conquest of the Kings after last season’s effort went seven games, scored his third goal.
Kesler gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead nearly midway through the second period by blasting a shot past Michal Neuvirth off assists from Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg.
The goal by Kesler was desperately needed because teammates Rickard Rakell, Perry and Hampus Lindholm were denied on up-close opportunities in the Ducks’ effort to duplicate a lopsided victory in Buffalo last week.
The Ducks, after out-shooting the Sabres, 44-12, in a 5-1 victory in Buffalo on Oct. 13, were kept to zero shots until Perry streaked down ice, yelled for a pass from Getzlaf and delivered his sixth goal in seven games 8:50 into the game.
Buffalo had good early looks, but Andersen denied a Matt Moulson try with his right skate, stopped a Drew Stafford rush and scooped up a Moulson deflection.
The Sabres entered with a scoreless rut that the Ennis goal ended at 197 minutes.
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