Bernier perfect as Ducks snap Blackhawks' 7-game win streak
CHICAGO - Jonathan Bernier made 43 saves for his 100th NHL win, and Anaheim Ducks cooled off the Chicago Blackhawks with a 1-0 victory on Thursday.
Corey Perry scored in the second as Anaheim ended Chicago's seven-game winning streak despite being outshot 43-26 on the night. Corey Crawford blocked 25 shots as the Blackhawks lost for only the second time in their last 14.
Bernier's second shutout this season and 14th of his career helped the Ducks pull ahead of idle Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. Bernier made his sixth straight start with John Gibson sidelined a lower-body injury.
Perry stopped a 10-game scoring drought with his 12th goal at 17:44. He hadn't connected since scoring twice on Feb. 9 at Buffalo.
The Blackhawks outscored their opponents 53-29 in their previous 13 games, and they held the Ducks without a shot for more than 18 minutes stretching from the first period until early in the second.
But Chicago wasted a chance to overtake Minnesota for the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference. The Wild lost 4-1 at Tampa Bay.
Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury. He was paired with Swedish countryman Johnny Oduya, who played in his first game since being reacquired on Feb. 28 from Dallas. He had been resting an ankle injury.
Hjalmarsson and Oduya often played together on Chicago's 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup teams.
The Blackhawks outshot the Ducks 19-2 in a chippy first. Anaheim forward Ryan Getzlaf fought Chicago's Richard Panik late in the first, and the Ducks captain drew an extra minor for instigating and a misconduct on the altercation. Getzlaf entered with just 26 penalty minutes.
The Blackhawks kept dominating into the second, but Bernier stepped up every time he was challenged. His best stops included a point-blank right pad save on Jordin Tootoo in the opening minute, a glove save on Patrick Kane's backhander with 5:05 left in the period and a block of Artem Anisimov's quick shot from the side of the net about a minute later.
Perry scored on the Ducks' 14th shot, just moments after Marian Hossa's drive dribbled off the post to Bernier's left. He beat Crawford on the stick side as he cut across the slot.
Aided by solid defensive support, Bernier preserved the lead in the third.
Bernier had to come up with a sprawling pad save in Artemi Panarin and close-in stop on Jonathan Toews with Crawford on the bench for an extra attacker in the final 1:40.
NOTES: With Gibson out, Bernier was backed up by Jhonas Enroth. Jeff Glass backed up Crawford for a third game. Scott Darling is recovering from an upper-body injury. ... Anaheim's Logan Shaw played in his 100th NHL game. ... With Hjalmarsson and Oduya in the lineup, Ds Michal Kempny and Michal Rozsival were scratched. ... Ducks F Antoine Vermette served the ninth game of a 10-game suspension for slashing linesman Shandor Alphonso. He's eligible to return when Anaheim hosts Washington on Sunday.
UP NEXT:
Ducks: At St. Louis on Friday in second of a two-game Midwest swing.
Blackhawks: At Detroit on Friday in their final visit to the Joe Louis Arena.