Anaheim Ducks

For all their troubles this season, and there have been many, the Ducks had been pretty fortunate with regard to injuries.

While many teams' rosters have been decimated through the first fourth of the NHL season, the Ducks had missed only 22 man games to injury before Thursday night. But things are starting to change, and not for the better.

Already without centers Saku Koivu and Ryan Carter, who had sat out a combined seven games before Thursday because of a strained groin and bruised foot, respectively, the Ducks lost defensemen Steve Eminger and James Wisniewski before and during their 4-3 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Honda Center.

Back spasms forced Eminger to be scratched from the lineup, and Wisniewski suffered a bruised right foot late in the first period when he blocked a shot by Tampa Bay winger Paul Szczechura. X-rays on Wisniewski were negative, the Ducks said, but then Carter hasn't even returned to the ice since being hurt when he was struck by a shot off the stick of teammate Ryan Whitney during a Nov. 12 practice in Columbus.

To try to make up for the absence of Koivu and Carter, the Ducks on Wednesday recalled center MacGregor Sharp from ECHL affiliate Bakersfield. Sharp, only eight months removed from his senior season at Minnesota-Duluth, made his NHL debut against the Lightning but played only 5 minutes, 23 seconds.

Depending on the status of Eminger and Wisniewski entering Saturday night's matchup with the high-powered San Jose Sharks at Honda Center, the Ducks might need to dip down into the minor leagues for another defenseman.

DUCKS 4, LIGHTNING 3 (OT): After building a 3-0 lead only to see all of it get away, the Ducks managed to snap a four-game losing streak and win for just the fourth time in 14 games when Scott Niedermayer scored a power-play goal 52 seconds into overtime. In so doing, Niedermayer extended his NHL record for defensemen with his 13th career overtime goal. Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan also connected on the power play for the Ducks, after Teemu Selanne had opened the scoring 6:25 into the first period, three seconds after a Ducks power-play opportunity had expired. The Lightning fought back on goals by Jeff Halpern, Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, who bagged the equalizer on the power play 1:38 into the third period. Getzlaf, Selanne and Corey Perry chipped in two assists apiece for the Ducks.

• C MacGregor Sharp was recalled from Bakersfield of the ECHL with centers Saku Koivu (groin) and Ryan Carter (foot) out of the lineup because of injuries. Sharp made his NHL debut in Thursday night's 4-3 overtime victory over visiting Tampa Bay, winning three of four faceoffs during a limited 5 minutes, 23 seconds of ice time. Sharp, 24, signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks in March after having completed his senior season at Minnesota-Duluth. He had four goals and 14 points in his first 15 professional games with Bakersfield, after having finished second in the nation with 26 goals and fourth with 50 points for Minnesota-Duluth last season.

• RW Teemu Selanne scored his 590th career goal and added two assists. Selanne, who stands 18th on the all-time goals list, moved past Peter Forsberg and into a tie with Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming for 60th on the career assists list with 637. Selanne stands 38th all-time with 1,227 points, two short of Norm Ullman and five behind Phil Housley.

Quote To Note:

"One shot can make the difference between feeling great and feeling terrible."

—Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller, who registered 21 saves and became the winner when Scott Niedermayer scored a power-play goal 52 seconds into overtime Thursday night.

Goaltenders:

Jonas Hiller, Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Defensemen:

Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Whitney, James Wisniewski, Nick Boynton, Brendan Mikkelson, Sheldon Brookbank

First Line:

Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry

Second Line:

Evgeny Artyukhin, Petteri Nokelainen, Teemu Selanne

Third Line:

Kyle Calder, Todd Marchant, Joffrey Lupul

Fourth Line:

Mike Brown, MacGregor Sharp, George Parros

Player Notes:

• RW Corey Perry picked up two assists to stretch his point-scoring streak to 13 games, the longest in the NHL since then-Boston RW Phil Kessel enjoyed an 18-game run in November and December of last year. Perry has nine goals and 19 points during his career-high streak.

• RW Teemu Selanne had a goal and two assists, moving past Peter Forsberg and into a tie with Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming for 60th on the career assists list with 637. Selanne, who is 18th all-time with 590 goals, stands 38th all-time with 1,227 points, two short of Norm Ullman and five behind Phil Housley.

• C MacGregor Sharp made his NHL debut one night after being recalled from ECHL affiliate Bakersfield. Sharp, who completed his senior season at Minnesota-Duluth in March, played 5 minutes, 23 seconds and won three of four faceoffs.

• D Nick Boynton picked up an assist in a fourth consecutive game, establishing a career high for longest assist streak and matching a personal-best, four-game point streak.

Medical Watch:

• D James Wisniewski left late in the first period Thursday after being struck in the right foot by a shot from Lightning winger Paul Szczechura. X-rays were negative, the Ducks said.

• D Steve Eminger was a late scratch Thursday night because of back spasms.

• C Saku Koivu, who has missed the last five games because of a strained groin, remains day-to-day. Koivu is skating with the team but has not progressed enough to get back into the lineup.

• C Ryan Carter has missed the last four games because of a bruised foot suffered during a Nov. 12 practice in Columbus and has yet to return to the ice.