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Penner scores twice, leads Ducks to comeback victory

Mar 29, 2007 - 5:54 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Dustin Penner made sure the Anaheim Ducks picked up a much-needed victory against a lowly opponent.

Penner scored twice in the second period and Ilya Bryzgalov was sharp in goal as the Ducks picked up two crucial points with a 3-1 victory over the slumping Chicago Blackhawks.

Anaheim (45-20-12) entered with just two wins in its previous six contests (2-3-1) and a two-point lead over idle San Jose (47-26-4) and Dallas (46-24-6) in the Pacific Division. With the win, the Ducks pulled within three points of the Nashville Predators (49-21-7) for the top spot in the Western Conference.

"We are just trying to play our game every night and not get caught looking ahead," Anaheim's Corey Perry said. "We have 15 periods left and we have to play period by period and let the chips fall where they fall."

Chicago took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Radim Vrbata late in the first period, but that proved to be the only tally allowed by Bryzgalov, who stopped 15 shots over the final two sessions and 20 overall.

Vrbata scored a rare power-play goal with 90 seconds left in the first period, when his shot from the right faceoff circle beat Bryzgalov to the glove side. It was just Chicago's fourth man-advantage tally in its last 46 chances at home.

"We played a good first period," Blackhawks coach Denis Savard said. "We had everything under control and, in the second period, just lost the puck a few times without any pressure. That led to turnovers, and they scored and got momentum. That line with Penner and those guys, they are good."

With the win, Bryzgalov improved to 4-1-1 in his last six starts.

"I did not know that, I don't keep track," Bryzgalov said. "The guys have helped me a lot and it's nice to keep winning games."

Penner tied the game with at 7:55 of the second period and completed his third two-goal effort of the season just under seven minutes later to put the Ducks in front for good. Perry set up both tallies.

"He has great hands, and when he gets the puck at the top of the circle, he is dangerous and effective," Penner said of Perry. "On the first goal, he made two guys come to him and dropped the pass right to me. The second goal, he got off a tough shot and the rebound came to me as I was cruising the slot. From there, I was just able to tap it in."

Anaheim got some insurance from an unlikely source as tough guy George Parros slammed home the rebound of a shot by Brad May with 6:42 to go in the third for his first goal of the season and third in 87 career games.

Nikolai Khabibulin made 20 saves for Chicago, which has lost six straight, including the first four of a six-game homestand.

"It's no fun, no question. My job is to keep teaching and motivating and do the best we can," Savard said. "If guys won't give effort, they won't play. I sat a few people in the third period tonight because I didn't see the effort."