VIDEO: Gibson Sets Record As Ducks Down Habs 6-2

By: Matthew Garcia

Last night the Anaheim Ducks (2-3-1) would play host to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.(1-5-1) Montreal, who hasn’t won in their last six games would be looking for a win in Anaheim before heading home after their three-game road swing through California in which they have gone 0-2-0 to this point. The Ducks, however, would be in action for the first time in five days as their last game was back on Sunday the 15th in which they lost to the Buffalo Sabres by a final of 3-1. John Gibson would be the man in net for the Ducks making his seventh consecutive start, while Carey Price would get the nod for the Canadiens.

Period 1:

Anaheim would come out of the gates flying, looking to strike early and would do just that as Dennis Rasmussen would get a tip on a Jaycob Megna point shot that would go over the shoulder of Price giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead just 1:46 into the game. Anaheim would be the recipient of the games first power-play as Alex Galchenyuk would be assessed a tripping minor, Anaheim would make good use of the power-play as Derek Grant would find a rebound laying in front of the net, potting it for Anaheim’s first power-play goal of the year, and his first NHL goal. 10 minutes later Antoine Vermette would tee one up from above the face-off circle firing it past Price to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead late in the first period, and into the first intermission.

Period 2:

After giving up three goals in the first period Montreal would come storming out of the gates putting the Ducks back on their heels a bit as Paul Byron would get the ball rolling for the Canadiens potting his second goal of the season off an intentional shot wide from defenseman Karl Alzner that would find the tape of Byron, firing it past Gibson to make it a 3-1 game just 2:47 into the middle frame. Penalty trouble would begin to plague Anaheim as the Canadiens would notch a power-play goal of their own as Brendan Gallagher would bat a puck out of the air in front of Gibson and into the back of the net pulling Montreal to within a goal at the 17:24 mark of the second period. Gibson would set a franchise record as he would turn away 28-30 shots that he faced in the second period.

Period 3:

Despite giving up two goals, and 30 shots in the second period the Ducks would come out in the third with the same mindset that they had in the first period and that would be get shots on net, and play hard and physical. Anaheim would cash in early in the third as on a delayed penalty Brandon Montour would fire a rocket up, over the shoulder of Price giving the Ducks a 4-2 lead 5:58 into the final frame. The Ducks would not be done there as Grant would make it 5-2 off a nifty pass from Ondrej Kase that he would just tap in for his second goal of the game and second of his career. 23 seconds later Chris Wagner would join in on the goal scoring parade as he would take a feed from Corey Perry and rip it home to give the Ducks a 6-2 lead 7:35 into the third. Anaheim would score three goals in a 1:37-time span, and would go on to beat Montreal by a final score of 6-2.

Analysis:

The Ducks would come out strong in the opening period of play taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, but a lapse would see that lead dwindle to just one goal after 40 minutes of play. Anaheim would finish strong though and tack on three more goals in the final 20 minutes of play to take down Montreal and improve their record to 3-3-1. The major takeaway from tonight would be yet another injury as Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler left the game early in the first period after taking an awkward fall to the ice during Anaheim’s first power-play of the evening, he did not return to the game and in a post-game interview coach Randy Carlyle stated that he suffered a lower-body injury and would undergo more tests today to evaluate the extent of the injury. The upside? Anaheim will receive yet another small break in between play as they will not be in action again until Tuesday when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers in their second and final meeting of the regular season.

Stats/Notes:

Randy Carlyle earned his 413th win as a head coach. He tied Jack Adams for 32nd on the all-time list.

Corey Perry recorded his 370th assist passing Paul Kariya on the all-time leader list. Perry ranks 3rd on the list behind Ryan Getzlaf(580) and Teemu Selanne(531).

Derek Grant recorded his first and second NHL goals.

Jaycob Megna recorded his first NHL point an assist.

John Gibson set a team record with 28 saves in the second period.

Anaheim finally scored a power-play goal ending the six-game drought.

What’s Next?

Anaheim Ducks (3-3-1) visit the Philadelphia Flyers (4-3-0) Tuesday, October 24th at 4 PM PT.

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October 21st, 2017

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, ducksnpucks, montreal canadiens