Beauchemin's 2 goals lift Ducks over Coyotes

Beauchemin's 2 goals lift Ducks over Coyotes

Published Jan. 18, 2012 8:58 p.m. ET


ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)
-- The Anaheim Ducks' scoring slump is over. Now they are netting goals in bunches.

Francois Beauchemin tied a career high with two goals, Jonas Hiller stopped 25 shots, and the Ducks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 6-2 on Wednesday night.

The Ducks are 6-0-1 in their past seven games, matching the club's longest point streak since November 2010. Anaheim has scored 31 times during its current run, averaging 4.42 per game.

"There were times this year that we would have taken half of those and been happy," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of the six goals.

Anaheim All-Star Corey Perry had a short-handed goal, and Niklas Hagman, Jason Blake and Matt Beleskey also scored for the Ducks (16-22-7), who won their fourth straight at home. Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrew Cogliano and Nick Bonino all had two assists.

Kyle Chipchura and Daymond Langkow scored for the Coyotes (21-19-7), who are 0-3-3 in their last six on the road. Mike Smith allowed all six goals on 21 shots -- including four on just 10 total shots in the final two periods.

"It just seemed like every chance they got, they capitalized," Langkow said. "We made some mistakes, and you know what happens. We just need to be better all around."

The Coyotes' road skid matches their longest since March 6-28, 2009.

Beauchemin posted his third career two-goal game and first since March 14, 2007. He scored in the first period and then put the Ducks in front for good with his sixth of the season.

Cogliano started the sequence by playing the puck around the boards. Bonino then sent a pass from the right side of the net that Beauchemin put just under the crossbar with a one-timer at 14:51 of the second.

"It's always fun to score goals," Beauchemin said. "It's not my strength. But I put two on the net and they went in."

Hiller came up with a fine glove save on Taylor Pyatt's snap shot late in the period to preserve the lead.

The Ducks put together their best scoring combination of the night when Cogliano and Bonino made a quick series of passes that resulted in Blake's point-blank finish from the doorstep, giving the Ducks a 4-2 edge heading into the third.

"They got some timely goals to break the game open. It was the difference in the game," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.

Beleskey scored early in the final period, and Perry added his 21st of the season in the waning minutes.

"I think in the past we might have shut down when things weren't going good," Cogliano said. "It's good for us to battle back."

Anaheim has scored more than five goals four times during its winning streak. Hiller has done his part, stopping 123 of 131 shots during his last six outings.

"With Hilly playing lights out in the net, we're going to be hard to beat," Bonino said.

Chipchura opened the scoring at 8:33 with his first goal of the season. The former Ducks forward finished past a diving Hiller after a shot by Raffi Torres pulled the goalie out of position.

The Ducks then scored a pair of goals less than two minutes apart to grab a 2-1 lead.

Hagman got just enough of Visnovsky's shot from the point to direct it in at 13:49. With Shane Doan in the penalty box for holding, Beauchemin scored on the power play.

Langkow tied it at 2 with his seventh goal, scored midway through the second period.

NOTES: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance. . Coyotes defenseman Adrian Aucoin sat out because of an undisclosed lower body injury. . The Ducks recalled defenseman Nate Guenin from Syracuse of the AHL. He didn't play in the game.

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