Ducks still believe in underperforming Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry

Ryan Getzlaf's first career goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs wouldn't rank among the prettiest of his 225 in the NHL.

But fans longing for the days when the imposing Anaheim Ducks centre topped the 20-goal mark with regularity probably cared less about the puck's journey to the back of the net than the fact the pass-first Regina native attempted a shot.

Getzlaf watched the puck deflect off the left skate of the Leafs' Roman Polak and fellow defenceman Morgan Rielly before eluding former Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen for only his fourth goal of the season in Anaheim's 3-2 victory on Monday night.

Getzlaf's linemate Corey Perry wasn't as lucky as he failed to convert three shots, including a two-on-one with Getzlaf, and was seen at least once slamming his stick to the ice.

How frustrating has the first half of the season been for the once-dynamic duo? They have combined for 11 goals in 35 games, or three fewer than their relatively unknown linemate Rickard Rakell has in 24 games following Thursday night's 2-1 overtime loss to the Senators in Ottawa.

"They're not getting any younger and it's a young guy's game, but there's still the belief that when push comes to shove that they'll be there for us," Hall of Fame defenceman Scott Niedermayer, a former teammate of Getzlaf and Perry, told CBC Sports over the phone.

The retired Niedermayer, who now mentors young players in the Ducks organization, was also a member of Canada's gold-medal winning squad with Getzlaf and Perry at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, so he knows what the 31-year-olds offer a team besides goal-scoring ability.

"They bring it at the big moments; scoring a big goal or being part of a big [playoff] push," Niedermayer said. "There's still a lot of value they can bring as older players such as leadership, and I think that's their focus."

Through Wednesday, Getzlaf was on track for 135 shots, which would mark his fewest since 2011 (117) and the third lowest 82-game total of his 12 NHL seasons.

Blessed with a nasty shot, Getzlaf has had a penchant for passing the puck, though he did manage a career-best 31 goals in the 2013-14 season. The 2003 first-round draft pick's production dipped to 25 and 13 the next two seasons and at his current pace would end this year with 10, one shy of his 2011-12 output when balancing first-time fatherhood and hockey was mentioned as a major reason for Getzlaf's lack of production.

"With Getzy, he's always been a guy that loves to pass the puck. It's a big part of his game and he knows that's what he needs to do to help the team," Niedermayer said.

Stuck on 7 goals

With 28 points in 31 games through Wednesday, Getzlaf projects to end the season with 67, comparable to 2014-15 (70 points) and last season (63).

Perry, meanwhile, hasn't scored fewer than 33 goals in each of the previous five 82-game seasons — he had 15 in 44 contests in the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign — has been stuck on seven the last four games after scoring three times in a four-game stretch.

The Peterborough, Ont., native collected four goals in his first eight games this season before failing to score in 18 outings from Oct. 28 through Dec. 4, the longest since a 20-game drought in his rookie season of 2005-06.

On Dec. 12, Niedermayer was sitting inside the Honda Center in Anaheim when Perry snapped out of his slump with an unassisted goal against Carolina to force OT in a game the Ducks won 6-5 in a shootout.

"You could see the relief on his face and the body language," said Niedermayer of Perry, who was drafted 28th overall by Anaheim in 2003. "Corey can get hot and all of a sudden he's putting shots where the goalie isn't. There's plenty of time for him to get on one of those streaks."

Fortunately for Perry and Getzlaf, who will make $8.625 million US and $8.250 million, respectively, each season through 2021, the 17-12-6 Ducks are third in the Pacific Division with 47 games left in the regular season.

"They may not put up numbers that stack with their best seasons, but they've had success and know what it takes to get back there," Niedermayer said.