Battling adversity, these Ducks have pluck

Resilience was the common trait the Ducks flashed in moving their Honda Center win streak to 10 games while keeping their start through 23 games (17-3-3) the best in team history.

Brad Staubitz suffered a skate gash that required 35 stitches to close Friday, yet he returned to play. Bobby Ryan got banged up and left to the locker room for two shifts before coming back to score a goal in the 4-0 victory over Calgary.

“A few guys have bumps and bruises, that happens,” Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Daniel Winnik moved past the ache of an 18-game goal-less streak after scoring five in the first four games to revive the team’s third line with a game-opening goal.

“Sometimes the puck bounces off masks and skates and goes in, and other times it just won’t go in,” Winnik said. “It gets frustrating, but you just tell yourself you know it can go in spurts.”

And goaltender Viktor Fasth rallied from giving up four regulation goals in a shootout loss in Phoenix, brilliantly stopping all 29 shots he faced to improve to 5-0 at home with his second shutout.

“It felt good,” Fasth said. “We didn’t play very well against Phoenix. It was great to get another chance, to bounce back from that game where I didn’t think I played one of my better games.”

Fasth made two superb second-period saves, one with his left foot while spread-eagled in the crease, another on an up-close backhand.

“That’s what you have to do — you have a bad day, you have to keep on working,” Fasth said. “You can’t think about the games that have been. You think about the next game, the next puck.”

Next for the Ducks is St. Louis (12-9-2), the 5 p.m. Sunday game a chance to tie the team record for most consecutive wins at Honda Center.

Fasth and Jonas Hiller’s consecutive shutouts — a first in team history — extended the Ducks scoreless streak to 137:11. Led by center Patrik Berglund’s 11 goals, the Blues rank ninth in the NHL by averaging three goals a game.

Tonight

VS. ST. LOUIS

When: 5 p.m. Where: Honda Center.

On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 830.

Record vs. Blues: 1-0.

Etc. The Ducks won the first meeting, 6-5, by shootout on the road. The Ducks’ penalty killing will be tested by the NHL’s second-most-productive power-play team.