Advertisement

Ducks spring back in Chicago

Share
Times Staff Writer

CHICAGO -- Giving up a goal just over a minute into the game wasn’t the way the Ducks intended to generate some momentum to start their three-game trip.

Giving up another goal 36 seconds into the second period to give the Chicago Blackhawks another lead could have spelled doom to a team low on confidence, which the Ducks were a week ago.

Things may be different now.

The Ducks didn’t allow the deficits to deter them Friday night as they scored three consecutive goals over the second and third periods to take the lead for good and pull out a 5-3 victory at the United Center.

Advertisement

It is the first time they’ve won consecutive games since Nov. 17, when they defeated San Jose for their season-high fourth win in a row. Until their home victory over Buffalo on Wednesday, the Ducks (14-12-4) went through a spell where they lost five of seven.

“We’re looking for a starting point to turn the season around,” said defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who scored for the second consecutive game. “I think we played decent. But this was an important game for us. We came out a little slow, but I thought we played a really strong road game.”

Schneider scored during the three-goal outburst, as did Chris Kunitz and Ryan Getzlaf, whose score made it 4-2 in the third. Kunitz added an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left after the Blackhawks pulled goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and Chicago’s Robert Lang scored with an extra attacker.

Kunitz got his second two-goal game of the season as he made up for a fluke goal to start the second when Patrick Sharp’s shot deflected off his right skate and past Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

“You just want to help the goalie out and get one back for him,” Kunitz said. “We got a lucky bounce off the wall there, and I shot it on net.”

The Ducks also got some contributions from unlikely sources. Light-scoring wingers George Parros and Brad May each assisted on Schneider’s goal when the two forwards kept the puck alive in the offensive zone and Schneider jumped up to snap a shot past Khabibulin.

Advertisement

“We had [Todd] Marchant, May and Parros score a big goal for us off the cycle,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “Those are things you look for. Everybody’s got a chance to make a contribution.”

The Ducks helped each other all night. Giguere made a key save on Martin Havlat in the second after defenseman Francois Beauchemin was stripped of the puck as he broke out from behind the net. It was payback for Beauchemin’s keeping a loose puck from crossing the goal line in the first when Havlat tucked it between Giguere’s legs.

“The puck was lying on the red line there,” Beauchemin said. “That’s the kind of thing that happened during the game. You’ve got to make the play.”

Beauchemin set up Getzlaf’s third-period score with a long pass right on the center’s stick for a breakaway. Getzlaf finished with a goal and two assists, and Corey Perry added his team-leading 15th goal on the power play in the first to counteract a score by Chicago rookie Jonathan Toews only 67 seconds into the game.

“Our power play got us a big goal to get us back in it,” Carlyle said. “We weren’t very good in the first period, but I thought after that we were pretty good in the hockey game.”

Tonight the Ducks hope to find another building block in Nashville.

“We battled through a good road victory,” Schneider said. “We’ve got to do the same thing again. And that’s how you build success.”

Advertisement

--

TONIGHT

at Nashville, 5 PST, FSN West

Site -- Sommet Center.

Radio -- 830.

Records -- Ducks 14-12-4, Predators 13-11-2.

Record vs. Predators -- 1-0-0.

Update -- Friday was the first time defenseman Kent Huskins sat out this season. He has a bruised knee suffered in a collision during Wednesday’s victory over Buffalo. Center Brian Sutherby, bothered by a groin injury, reported improvement.

--

eric.stephens@latimes.com

Advertisement