Bernier, Red Wings shut out hapless Senators

Jonathan Bernier turned aside all 35 shots he faced Saturday as the visiting Detroit Red Wings skated to their fifth win in seven outings, a 2-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Bernier secured his 17th career shutout and first this season by registering his first win since a 38-save performance in a 4-1 victory at Carolina on Dec. 20. The 30-year-old had permitted 16 goals while losing each of his next four starts before shutting down league-worst Ottawa, which has dropped four in a row.

Defenseman Danny DeKeyser scored in his second straight contest and Darren Helm tallied in his 600th career game for the Red Wings, who defeated the Senators for the first time in three meetings this season. Detroit accomplished the feat without Dylan Larkin, who missed the contest with a strained oblique sustained Friday in a 3-2 overtime win over Toronto. Coach Jeff Blashill told reporters prior to the Saturday game that it could be a one- to two-week absence for Larkin, who leads the team in goals (22), points (49) and average ice time (21:54).

Craig Anderson finished with 19 saves for the Senators, who fell to 2-7-2 in the latter half of back-to-back contests this season. DeKeyser picked up where he left off after scoring in overtime against the Maple Leafs, unleashing a shot from the point that sailed past Anderson to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 12:04 of the first period. It was just his third tally of the season.

Helm doubled the advantage just 39 seconds later, taking advantage of an Ottawa turnover and skating up ice on a two-on-one rush with Martin Frk. Helm exchanged passes with Frk before backhanding the puck past a sliding Anderson for his fourth goal of the season. Anderson had Detroit's number this season prior to Saturday's contest. He made 34 saves -- and thwarting a pair of penalty shots -- in Ottawa's 2-1 win on Nov. 15 and finished with 26 stops in a 4-2 victory over the Red Wings on Dec. 14.

--Field Level Media

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