Jonathan Bernier gets the shutout as the Ducks beat Coyotes, 3-0

Reporting from GLENDALE, Ariz. —  Jonathan Bernier shook off the rust and earned his first shutout of the season.

Bernier, starting in goal for the first time since Dec. 20, had 26 saves in the Anaheim Ducks’ 3-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.

Hampus Lindholm, Nick Ritchie and Ryan Kesler scored in the Ducks’ third straight victory and sixth in seven games.

Lindholm’s second goal of the season came 5:49 into the opening period and Ritchie got his 10th just 35 seconds into the third.

Kesler’s 18th goal went into an empty net with 21 seconds left.

The Coyotes struggled to get any consistent pressure on Anaheim’s No. 2 goalie.

“We were staunch enough on the defensive side of it that our goalie wasn’t called upon to make a bunch of 10-bell saves, but he did pitch a shutout,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “He hadn’t played in a while and this strengthens our belief in the 1-A (John Gibson) and 1-B (Bernier) tandem that we have.”

Louis Domingue had 20 saves for the Coyotes, who outshot the Ducks 26-22.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks needed a video review to clear the way for their first goal.

Lindholm’s wrister appeared to bounce off the crossbar and play continued for a few seconds, but a review showed the puck hit the inside of the crossbar for a goal that made it 1-0.

Anaheim nursed that lead through two periods until the opening minute of the third.

The puck was cleared off the boards and careened back right in front of the Arizona net. Domingue came out of the net to try to get a stick on it, but Ritchie got there first and sent the puck between the goalie’s legs to make it 2-0.

“I don’t know if he (Domingue) missed it or what happened but I had it right in front of the net,” Ritchie said. “He wasn’t really in position and I just shot it in. It was a lucky break and got us a two-goal lead.”

Domingue said it was one of many strange bounces the puck takes in Arizona’s home arena.

“I thought it was going to go towards Oliver (Ekman-Larsson),” he said, “but unfortunately it went to the middle, and at that point it was just a reaction and no more stick to stop it. So it was a bad break because it would of been a much different game, for sure.”

Bernier made a few sprawling saves as the Coyotes took 11 shots on goal in the final period. The closest Arizona came to scoring was Michael Stone’s slap shot that hit the post in the first period.

Bernier hadn’t started a game since a 5-1 loss at Montreal on Dec. 20 and worked to stay sharp for whenever his next chance came.

“The only way you build (your teammates’ confidence in you) is by working hard in practice and making saves on them,” he said, “and when you get your chance to go in, you know you’re ready mentally because you worked hard and they know that you’re ready to go.”

The Coyotes, coming off a 4-3 win over Winnipeg on Friday night, were shut out for the fourth time in their last 18 games. They came up empty on three power plays to one for Anaheim.

“Lots of try in our group,” Arizona coach Dave Tippett said. “We pushed hard but we just couldn’t bury the one that we needed to get back in the game. That second goal of theirs is kind of a weird bounce to come off the boards that funny way. They got the break and we didn’t.”

DUCKS TONIGHT

VS. ST. LOUIS

When: 6.

On the air: TV: Prime; Radio: 830.

Update: The Ducks could ride the momentum from Bernier but might go back to Gibson in the second game of a back-to-back set as they open three straight games at home. Anaheim has won 10 games in a row at Honda Center against St. Louis, dating to 2009. Former Ducks wing David Perron had 10 goals in 42 games with the Blues. Ducks prospect Troy Terry, the hero for the U.S. team in the World Junior Championships, is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, the University of Denver announced.

--Curtis Zupke

sports@latimes.com