Bryzgalov stops the Ducks

More than 58 minutes into an emotional return to the Honda Center as a foe rather than a friend, it looked as if Ilya Bryzgalov would come up short against the team he was drafted by and the one with which he joyously lifted the Stanley Cup.

The Ducks clung to a one-goal lead when the Phoenix Coyotes got a final chance with a late power play. The ensuing chain of events allowed Bryzgalov to skate off the ice with a victorious smile.

Radim Vrbata’s goal with 1:07 left tied the score in regulation and Bryzgalov stopped both attempts he faced in the shootout as the Coyotes walked out with a 4-3 victory Friday for the third win in Anaheim in as many tries this season.

Let go on waivers a week ago when the Ducks couldn’t make a last-minute deal, Bryzgalov made 23 saves to win his third consecutive game with the Coyotes.

“It’s always nice to win the game, especially when it is against your former team,” Bryzgalov said. “You have to give them respect. Those guys play hard; we play hard too.”

Even as a backup, Bryzgalov’s work over the last two seasons was enough for the Ducks to acknowledge his contribution with a short video tribute.

Bryzgalov went 23-20-7 in the regular season while mostly playing behind Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The playoffs, however, is where he made his greatest impact.

The 27-year-old Russian won nine playoff games in the last two postseasons. In 2006, he tied an NHL record with three consecutive playoff shutouts and his shutout streak of 249 minutes, 15 seconds ranks second all-time.

Those achievements weren’t forgotten by the sellout crowd of 17,174, which gave him a loud standing ovation, prompting the goalie to acknowledge the fans three times.

“I have different feelings, you know,” Bryzgalov said. “Especially when they play [the tribute] on the Jumbotron. I thank them for everything. I was crying a little bit. It may sound funny, but I had a great time here and I played with great teammates. I have great memories here.”

Those memories got even better with the Coyotes’ late rally. Ducks captain Chris Pronger was forced to take a slashing penalty when Phoenix’s Shane Doan was left alone in front of goalie Jonas Hiller, who spelled Giguere.

“Those are the types of penalties you’ve got to take in situations like that,” Pronger said. “And we’ve got to kill those.”

Vrbata ripped a one-timer for his second goal of the game. The winger finished his big effort with a clinching goal off Hiller in the shootout.

Hiller made 35 saves in his third NHL start.

“Jonas was called upon to make some big stops for us and I thought he did that,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said.

The Ducks’ second consecutive loss after a four-game winning streak can be put squarely on a penalty-killing unit that has failed to come through in a big situation.

Two nights earlier in Dallas, the unit could not erase two delay-of-game penalties, allowing the Stars to score the tying and winning goals.

“We make critical mistakes at times that’s costing us,” Carlyle said. “We had an opportunity to clear the puck on our forehand and we put it behind the net on our backhand. Thus they maintained pressure on it and we made a mistake.

“Again, you’ve got to make sure that you play rock solid. You can’t make those mental mistakes, those structured mistakes that are costing us.”

The loss spoiled Pronger’s 14th two-goal game. Ryan Getzlaf was credited with his eighth goal when Coyotes defenseman Nick Boynton inadvertently tipped the puck through Bryzgalov’s pads while he was backchecking on a rush.

“We’ve shown that at times we can play those 60-minute games and play to a high level,” Pronger said. “For whatever reason, we opt not to. I think it’s more disappointing than frustrating, that we can’t seem to put it together.”

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eric.stephens@latimes.com