Ducks finally muzzle Coyotes
In the third straight meeting of the teams, Anaheim gets a win with Hiller’s shutout.
Pained by consecutive four-goal games in Phoenix, the Ducks returned to the comfort of home Wednesday and shut out the same Coyotes that had beat them up for those eight goals.
“We locked the neutral zone up.… It was a gutsier effort,” Ducks wing Bobby Ryan said of the 2-0 victory, the team’s ninth consecutive win at Honda Center.
Two days after enduring 40 shots, Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller confronted just 18 and stopped them all. It was only the second time since January that he’d made consecutive starts.
“We kept things simple and didn’t give them too many chances,” Hiller said.
The Ducks (16-3-3) earned points for the 11th time in their last 12 games, getting goals from first-line members Corey Perry (7:10 into the game) and Ryan Getzlaf (an empty-netter with 20.3 seconds remaining).
Team captain Getzlaf was part of a teamwide focus on defense, setting the tone by slamming Phoenix defenseman Zbynek Michalek into the boards early in the first period.
Getzlaf also disrupted Phoenix center Matthew Lombardi’s run toward Hiller later in the third period before intercepting a pass to clinch the outcome with the
empty-net shot from the neutral zone.
“A lot better defensive effort,” Getzlaf said. “The whole team did a great job, and obviously it was a focus after the four goals.”
After the shootout losses in Phoenix, the Ducks flashed more energy in the opening period by outshooting the Coyotes, 8-3. Phoenix (11-9-3) saw the unique three-game stretch end without gaining a point on the Pacific Division-leading Ducks.
Phoenix put only nine shots on goal through the first 40 minutes.
Hiller secured his first shutout of the season by knocking down late thirdperiod shots by Lombardi and Michalek off his chest, and using his left leg pad to stop a close shot by Lauri Korpikoski.
In the face of heated competition for playing time against superb rookie Viktor Fasth, Hiller’s effort was “incredible” in Ryan’s estimation. “There were a couple times it could’ve got out of hand, but Jonas stood tall, and I’m sure it’s a great night for him,” Ryan said. “We all know he’s capable of that every night.”
Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau gave the familiar Coyotes a fresh look by altering his first line, moving usual second-line wing Ryan to play alongside Getzlaf and Corey Perry while Kyle Palmieri nurses an upperbody injury suffered Friday in Phoenix.
“We got the band back together,” Getzlaf cracked of a unit that has worked together in previous seasons.
The shift was immediately productive when Perry gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead by reaching to his right to swat a Ryan pass to the left of Coyotes backup goaltender Jason LaBarbera, then sliding on his back in celebration.
It was Perry’s seventh goal of the season.
Phoenix’s most serious threat of the period came when Mikkel Boedker’s slap shot struck the post behind Hiller and def lected back onto the ice. The Ducks later killed off a hooking penalty against Getzlaf.
Ducks center Andrew Cogliano missed a chance to extend the lead in the second period when LaBarbera stopped his penalty shot.