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Getzlaf, Ducks edge Blackhawks

Nov 29, 2008 - 1:37 AM By Craig Shultz PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks were both without their top goaltenders, but they were not missed much.

Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf scored the game's lone goal with 4:41 remaining in the second period as the Ducks defeated the Blackhawks, 1-0, on Friday.

Jonas Hiller, who was in the Anaheim net as No. 1 goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was in Montreal on personal business, stopped 26 shots for his second shutout.

Hiller stopped five shots in the first, 15 in the second and six in the third to record his second shutout of the season and career.

"We played pretty well defensively today," Hiller said. "They didn't have too many opportunities. They had some on the (power play), but I think we did pretty well on the penalty kill. I've had tougher games to play, but if you play that way, you always have a chance to win."

Playing for the injured Nikolai Khabibulin, Cristobal Huet made 20 saves for Chicago.

"It's good, but only if you're on the good side of it," Huet said of 1-0 games. "Right now, we're doing a lot of things the right way and we're playing some good teams too. Every game is a tough battle."

Anaheim captain Scott Niedermayer said Hiller deserves the credit for the victory, the Ducks third in a row.

"He made some big saves. We gave them some chances, they have some young guys over there that can move the puck around and he made big saves for us," Niedermayer said.

Both coaches praised their netminders.

"Your goaltender's got to give you a chance to win every night. Jonas Hiller, with the shutout, did that," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.

"He did his job. He gave us a chance," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said of Huet. "They are dangerous around the net, there are some big bodies there and quick plays and skill around there and he did what he had to do. (It was a) tough loss."

Chicago peppered Hiller in the second period, but he was up to the task each time.

"It was a weird game, not much going on. And then they got that goal midway through the second and I think we started pressing a little bit," Chicago's Patrick Kane said. "When we start pressing, the chances don't really come your way either."

Getzlaf scored the game's lone goal after receiving a pass in the slot from Corey Perry. After fanning on his first attempt, Getzlaf gathered the puck on his backhand and slid it past Huet for his ninth goal of the season.

"(Perry) slid it across and it kind of went through a couple of legs. I was able to get a skate on it just to keep it in play," Getzlaf said. "Their goalie slid across and I was able to get it on the backhand. It was a big mess in there, I just kind of swung at it and luckily enough, it slid in."

"I know Getzlaf is at the back door, and the pass came through, he kind of missed the shot in his skates," Huet said. "He went back and I tried to push hard, because I know he's kind of a dangerous guy and I don't want to give him too much room on the far side, but he came back. I'm a little mad at myself, but you know it happens, and he's a good player.

The Ducks have won four straight home games over the Blackhawks and are 11-1-1 against Chicago the last four seasons.

Playing the fifth game of a six-game road trip, Chicago failed to earn a point for the first time since leaving home so the circus could visit the United Center. The Blackhawks are 3-1-1 on the road trip and finish up in Los Angeles Saturday.

"We had our chances, but we really didn't finish," Chicago's Troy Brouwer said. "We've really got to work on that for the next game. We had a lot of chances, we had a lot of things go well for us and we skated hard. We've got another game (Saturday) and we're just looking forward to playing that one now."