The Ducks kept the festive mood going when they scored at 9:50 of the first period. Rob Niedermayer, at the right-wing boards, fed a pass to Todd Marchant at the lower edge of the right circle, and Marchant snapped the puck home for his fifth goal of the season and first in his last 14 games.
In the second period Dallas had by far the better of the play and pulled even at 4:10. Rob Niedermayer was serving a hooking penalty when Dallas scored. Hiller stopped a shot from the left circle Ivan Vishnevskiy, but the rebound was swooped up by Ott for his 18th goal of the season.
The Ducks regained the lead at 7:03 of the third. James Wisniewski took the puck from Mike Ribeiro in the Ducks' end and skated up the right side. He passed to Perry, who pursued the puck into the corner. Scott Niedermayer was there, too, and he kicked it free to Perry, who came around on the left side and saw Scott Niedermayer free on the right.
Perry's pass through the slot found Niedermayer about 20 feet out, and Niedermayer rifled the puck past Turco for his 14th goal this season.
Dallas made it 2-2 at 13:43 when Fabian Brunnstrom scored off a scramble in front, but the Ducks responded 13 seconds later. Scott Niedermayer made it possible with a dump-in shot to the left corner that Selanne outskated Matt Niskanen to win. Selanne came around to the left side of the slot and slipped the puck across to Ebbett, who beat Turco from about 15 feet out.
That set up Ott's deflating goal, but the Ducks rebounded from that as defiantly as they had come back from being roadkill alongside the path to the Stanley Cup.
"It wasn't our best effort tonight, but we understand and know that," Pronger said. "We've got to shore up a few things and play better in front, whether it's [Jean-Sebastien Giguere] in net or Jonas."
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helene.elliott@latimes.com
