Todd Bertuzzi beat Jonas Hiller in the third round of the shootout, giving the Detroit Red Wings a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at Joe Louis Arena in the opener of an eight-game road trip for the Ducks. The win was Detroit's 19th consecutive home win, one shy of the all-time NHL record.
George Parros opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the first period, scoring at 16:17 on a pass from Rod Pelley. Justin Abdelkader answered for the Red Wings two and half minutes later with his sixth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
Detroit has the best record in the NHL at 37-17-2.
Friday was a much better showing for Anaheim (21-24-9) than their last trip to Detroit, a 5-0 shellacking on November 5 that came at the end of a seven-game road trip. Anaheim outshot Detroit 13-6 in the third period and 30-24 for the game but couldn't find another score.
Hiller saved 23 of 24 shots through overtime. Joey MacDonald saved 29 of 30 shots for Detroit in the win. Anaheim moves on to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. The Ducks are 11-2-3 in their last 16 contests.
For more news and notes on Ducks hockey, be sure to read Anaheim Calling.