Ducks’ defense is their best offense

Francois Beauchemin endeared himself to the Ducks’ faithful during last season’s playoffs when he dropped Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla with a straight left punch that may have been the turning point in a Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Apparently there are more postseason moments worth framing for the young defenseman.

Beauchemin scored two power-play goals Friday night to lift the Ducks to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild at the Honda Center that gave them a commanding 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven NHL first-round playoff series.

The Ducks now head to Minnesota for Game 3 Sunday night with some peace of mind after holding serve at home.

“It’s a big difference between winning tonight and needing two more wins and they still need four,” Ducks defenseman Sean O’Donnell said.

The Ducks for some time now have been sending mental thank-you notes to Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Doug MacLean, who included Beauchemin in the trade for Sergei Fedorov early last season.

To be fair, it was Ducks assistant GM Bob Murray who insisted Beauchemin be included in the deal. Little did anyone know the kind of impact he would make.

Beauchemin had three goals and six assists in 16 playoff games last season as a rookie. But it was his decisive victory in the fight against Iginla during Game 6 of an eventual seven-game Ducks victory that became his signature moment in Anaheim.

Now the hockey world knows the Ducks’ defensive unit isn’t just about Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger.

“I think he’s one example [of a player who] can be as good as he wants to be,” Ducks winger Teemu Selanne said of Beauchemin. “And he has to set the bar up to where he wants it to be. Obviously, you saw it last year.

“He has done some great things in the past. Playing beside Scotty and Prongs is not easy. A lot of times those guys get the spotlight. We know how good he is.”

Beauchemin put the Ducks ahead in the first period with a blistering slap shot that got by Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom, who was screened effectively by Rob Niedermayer.

“I don’t think he saw the puck go in,” Beauchemin said. “Robby had the screen there. You can’t stop what you can’t see.”

After Marian Gaborik tied the game early in the second, Beauchemin delivered another rocket at the 16:17 mark that gave the Ducks the lead for good. It was part of a night in which he played 28 minutes 35 seconds, second only to Scott Niedermayer’s 30:40 of ice time.

“I think people underestimate the aggressiveness and the competitiveness that Beauchemin has,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said.

“He’s been a tough competitor for us. He’s played a lot of hard minutes.”

The Ducks continued to punish Minnesota’s top defensive duo of Kim Johnsson and Nick Schultz while putting a body on offensive stars Gaborik and Pavol Demitra at every opportunity.

Meanwhile, Ilya Bryzgalov may not be leaving the net any time soon. Bryzgalov turned in another strong performance with 30 saves, allowing only goals by Gaborik and Mikko Koivu.

The difference was the fateful second period, during which the Ducks dug themselves a hole with repeated trips to the penalty box, only to respond to the challenge with effective and decisive penalty killing.

Ryan Getzlaf delivered the body blow with a stellar play that displayed his sublime talent.

With George Parros off for holding the stick, Getzlaf turned Wild defenseman Martin Skoula around with some deft stick-handling and got past him to sweep a backhand shot by Backstrom for a short-handed goal that deflated an already discouraged Minnesota team.

“I think I wasted more energy on the celebration than the actual goal,” Getzlaf said. “That was a pretty exciting moment.”

The Ducks killed all four of their disadvantages Friday night and now have the first two power-play goals in a series that could be decided by which team is more effective on special teams.

“There’s no question about it,” Minnesota center Wes Walz said. “Penalty killing and power plays are still going to play a huge role in this series. If you give up two [fewer] power plays in a game, that can make the difference between winning and losing.”

Said Carlyle: “In the second period, we started with four penalties in a row and the momentum had swung in their favor. For whatever reason, we score two goals in the period because of the power play and the short-handed goal. It was eventually the winner and it was the goal of the hockey game.”

eric.stepens@latimes.com