The Anaheim Ducks' Kyle Palmieri (51) fights for the puck with Clayton Stoner of the Minnesota Wild during first-period action at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Friday, March 1, 2013. The Ducks held off the Wild, 3-2. (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
Ducks win eighth game in a row at home
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Let the Chicago Blackhawks grab all the headlines for their amazing start, the Ducks will say as they continue to blaze their own trail through the Western Conference.
Matt Beleskey's goal in the second period proved decisive, and Jonas Hiller made 31 saves in a sharp performance to lead the Ducks to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night at Honda Center.
Before an announced 15,264, the Ducks (15-3-1) won their eighth in a row at home and have captured 12 of their last 14 overall to move past the defining 2006-07 squad for the best start in franchise history.
The record-breaking Blackhawks won again Friday to improve to 18-0-3, but the Ducks have quietly racked up victory after victory.
"It's good," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "We felt pretty good coming into the season. Obviously nobody expects to start the way we did. Guys are doing the right things.
"Good teams find ways to win even when they shouldn't."
The Ducks' 31 points trail only Chicago and are 15 ahead of last year's pace. Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne got the Ducks off to another hot start with goals in the first period against Wild backup Darcy Kuemper.
Beleskey made it 3-0 when he poked in a puck that Kuemper lost sight of alongside his left pad after Dan Winnik's pass deflected off Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter in front.
"It was great work by Cogs (Andrew Coglino) in the corner," Beleskey said. "Danny threw it out in front, it took a bounce and it was just kind of sitting there. It's one of those ones you like to get there."
The Ducks needed that goal as Minnesota rallied with scores by Kyle Brodziak and Devin Setoguchi in the third period. Hiller made a number of big saves throughout, and his teammates killed off Francois Beauchemin's penalty in the final three minutes.
Selanne's goal was the 669th of his career, moving him past Luc Robitaille into sole possession of 11th place on the NHL all-time goal scoring list.
(c)2013 The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)
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