Teemu time: Selanne's 3rd-period goal puts Ducks past Red Wings 3-1 in playoff opener

Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller blocks a shot by Detroit Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula during the first period.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard reacts after getting kicked in the head by Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry during the second period.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Teemu Selanne scored the tiebreaking power-play goal early in the third period, Jonas Hiller made 21 saves, and the Anaheim Ducks returned to the postseason with a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Nick Bonino also scored a power-play goal, and Francois Beauchemin added an empty-netter for the second-seeded Ducks. They hung on in the final minutes of the opener in just their second playoff series in four years.

The 42-year-old Selanne came up with yet another huge goal for the Pacific Division champions, putting a perfectly placed one-timer over Jimmy Howard’s shoulder while gliding backward.

Howard stopped 24 shots and Daniel Cleary scored on a power play for the Red Wings in their 22nd consecutive postseason appearance.

Game 2 is Thursday at Honda Center.

Captain Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry led a strong offensive effort by the Pacific Division champions, who finished the regular season with the best winning percentage in franchise history. Anaheim also excelled on the power play, little surprise for the NHL’s fourth-ranked unit in the regular season.

Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller blocks a shot by Detroit Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula during the first period.

Coach Bruce Boudreau also looked smart for choosing Hiller over first-year co-starter Viktor Fasth for the opener. Both goalies won 15 games in the regular season, but Boudreau went with his Swiss veteran, who came up with a handful of spectacular saves.

Anaheim missed two of the previous three postseasons, and Honda Center was packed well before the opening faceoff with hungry fans waving orange glow sticks and whipping towels above their heads. The Ducks have won just one postseason round since winning their only Stanley Cup in 2007, and Anaheim is eager for another lengthy run after the current team finally actualized its considerable talent.

The Ducks have been transformed ever since Boudreau took over in the final weeks of 2011, returning to respectability last season before roaring to a 22-3-4 start to this lockout-shortened campaign. Anaheim has been coasting steadily toward the playoffs for several weeks, finishing with the NHL’s third-best record and the second division title in franchise history.

Detroit had to scramble down the stretch just to extend its record postseason streak, only clinching a spot in the final game after four straight victories. The Red Wings also had good recent results in Anaheim, where they won consecutive games in late March to snap the Ducks’ 13-game home winning streak.

The Ducks went ahead midway through the first period when Bonino scored 3 seconds into a power play, tipping Cam Fowler’s point shot past Howard for his first career playoff goal.

Detroit evened it later in the period with a power-play goal just 4 seconds after a two-man advantage expired, with Cleary banging home his 21st career playoff goal.

Detroit Red Wings right wing Daniel Cleary scores past Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller during the first period.

After a well-played but scoreless second period, Selanne scored with a nifty wrist shot from the left circle. Howard appeared to have a decent chance to stop it, but the Finnish Flash put home his 42nd career playoff goal.

Detroit pressed in the final minutes, but Beauchemin wrapped it up with an exceptional empty-net goal, shooting the puck from just outside Anaheim’s goal crease.

NOTES: Detroit’s playoff streak is the longest active run in North American pro sports. ... The franchises are meeting in the playoffs for the sixth time in 16 years. ... After the Ducks knocked off top-seeded San Jose in 2009, Detroit beat eighth-seeded Anaheim in the second round on the way to the Stanley Cup finals. ... Detroit veterans Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson were healthy scratches. Both veterans were injured for most of the regular season. ... Late in the game, Honda Center showed a replay of Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick’s misplay in St. Louis earlier Tuesday night, drawing an energetic standing ovation from fans of the Kings’ archrivals.