Corey Perry gets a hat trick against Columbus – again

A game against the Columbus Blue Jackets must feel like a special reward for Corey Perry. For the second time this season, Perry had a hat trick against the NHL’s worst club. As was the case when he accomplished the same feat on Jan. 8, Perry’s efforts proved to be the difference as the Anaheim Ducks earned a 5-2 victory. Bobby Ryan and Jason Blake provided the Ducks other two goals as the squad converted on three of their four power-play chances.

For the most part, Perry has fallen short of expectations after his break out, Rocket Richard Trophy winning 2010-11 campaign. However, one thing to keep in mind is that a big reason for Perry’s success last season was his stunning run of 19 goals in 14 games from March 9 to April 6, 2011. That might go down as the highlight of his career and if you accept that he may never get that hot again, then Perry’s 26 goals in 55 games actually starts to look pretty good by his standards. After all, this is still likely to be his second best season in terms of goals scored.