Ducks’ Perry, Getzlaf together again

LONDON -- Right wing Corey Perry and center Ryan Getzlaf clicked the moment they were thrown onto the ice together at a Ducks’ rookie camp session three years ago.

Getzlaf’s great hands and passing ability complemented Perry’s fearlessness around the net. Perry’s competitiveness and knack for annoying opponents fit with Getzlaf’s coolness under pressure.

They shared the disappointment of losing to Edmonton in the 2006 conference finals and exulted together when the Ducks won the Cup last spring, a feat that would not have been possible without Perry, Getzlaf and their hulking left wing, Dustin Penner, infusing the team with youth, zest and a passel of goals.

None of them knew that their last combined effort would be lifting the Cup high above their heads amid a blizzard of confetti the night the Ducks clinched the Cup at the Honda Center.

Penner left for Edmonton in August, lured north by a five-year, $21.5-million free-agent offer. Then, Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle separated Perry and Getzlaf during training camp and in the season opener in an effort to squeeze more production out of his two top lines.

Big mistake.

“It was a case where we were trying to fix it when we really didn’t have to in that situation,” Carlyle said.

So, he unfixed it.

Carlyle put Perry and Getzlaf back together Sunday, flanked on the left by Chris Kunitz. That may be the best thing that happened to the Ducks during their trip to London to face the Kings in the NHL’s inaugural regular-season European jaunt.

“I lost him for only one game,” Getzlaf said, laughing. “I couldn’t get rid of him.

“Things were clicking. It was great to be out there handling that puck a little more.”

It was almost like old times.

Perry scored twice and assisted on a goal by Kunitz in the Ducks’ 4-1 victory over the Kings, lifting their spirits before their charter flight lifted off for Detroit.

Perry, held scoreless in a 4-1 loss to the Kings on Saturday while playing alongside Kunitz and Andy McDonald, was revitalized by Getzlaf’s familiar touch.

“I played with Getzy for three years now and we know where each other are on the ice,” said Perry, who scored 17 goals in 82 games last season.

“It was nice getting back with him . . . and getting back to where we were last year.”

Perry acknowledged he’s not yet accustomed to seeing another face where Penner used to be, hitting people and creating space for Perry and Getzlaf around the net.

“He was a big force last year,” Perry said. “He’s a big guy. He took a lot of people with him in the offensive zone.”

Penner also took 29 goals with him when he left. The apparent retirement of Teemu Selanne, the Ducks’ top scorer last season, takes away another 48 goals, not an easy chunk to make up.

In separating Perry and Getzlaf, Carlyle was trying to strike a balance for his new cast of characters. He had Getzlaf center for Todd Bertuzzi and Bobby Ryan on Saturday but changed his mind and his line combinations when they didn’t do much.

Carlyle knew the Ducks couldn’t afford to leave London with just some pictures and a few tea towels from the Tower of London as souvenirs. They go from here to Detroit, Columbus and Pittsburgh, in each case for their opponent’s home opener, with delays and revved-up fans inevitable.

Leaving an ineffective lineup intact would have made a difficult road infinitely tougher.

“The dynamics of our group have changed,” said Carlyle, who is still looking for a suitable winger for Bertuzzi and center McDonald.

The dynamics of the Kunitz-Getzlaf-Perry line were fine Sunday. Kunitz brings a speed that Penner lacked, though Kunitz doesn’t have Penner’s physical bulk.

“They’re different players, but in a way they’re the same player,” Perry said.

“Kuni is one of those guys that he’s not a huge body but he gets in there on the body, and Pens was the same way. Both have good vision on the ice and both can score. We saw that tonight with Kuni and saw that last year with Dustin.”

Getzlaf was encouraged by Perry’s success Sunday.

“He played well,” Getzlaf said. “He was shooting the puck. He was hitting guys and doing all the right things. It creates a lot of space for me and Kuni out there and we took advantage of it.”

They’ll need a lot more games like this for the Ducks to make up for the loss of Penner and the absence of Selanne.

“We’ve got two pretty big spots to fill,” Getzlaf said. “Those are a lot of goals.

“I think it’s just another opportunity for different guys to step up and play those roles.”

That’s a cue for Perry to elevate his game. With Getzlaf centering for him again, he has a better chance.

“You try something, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Perry said.

“We knew we had to come out and play a stellar game. We knew [on Saturday] we weren’t skating, we weren’t playing the game we normally play. Today was a different story.”

With a different linemate making all the difference.

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Helene Elliott can be reached at helene.elliott@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Elliott, go to latimes.com/elliott.