Anaheim Edges Montreal 3-2

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Montreal Canadiens to end their homestand. The trade deadline ended at noon before the game and the Ducks sent Dmitry Kulikov to Pittsburgh and John Klingberg to Minnesota. For more on the deadline visit: Ducks Trade Deadline 2023.

The Ducks were joined by Teemu Selanne during the broadcast of this game. He was between the benches and provided his insightful and funny commentary throughout the game.

John Gibson got the start in net against Sam Montembeault.

Recap

The Canadiens went to work early and got on the board just over a minute into this contest. Jonathan Drouin scored from the left face-off circle, beating Gibson five-hole. Gibson was in some discomfort after the goal, but was able to stay in and finish the game. The puck may have hit him in a sensitive area.

The Ducks then answered back a few minutes later. Max Comtois found Jayson Megna towards the front of the net and he took a shot across his body back at the opposite post for the score. The teams headed to the locker room all tied up at one.

In the second period there was no scoring. Both teams had a power play chance, but neither one converted.

In the third period the Ducks started to pull with away with a pair of power play goals. First Cam Fowler found Mason McTavish in the left face-off circle. He one-timed the pass over Montembeault’s glove to make it a 2-1 lead. Anaheim then went on the power play again a few minutes later and this time Jakob Silfverberg scored to make it 3-1. Derek Grant got to a loose puck and made a short pass to Silfverberg, who beat Montembeault to the far post for the score.

Montreal made a push in the final minutes of the game and pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Nick Suzuki scored with just 30 seconds left to make it a one goal game. The Ducks were able to hang on and win by a 3-2 final.

Analysis:

The Ducks played solid throughout this contest. They were able to outshoot the Canadiens 33 to 28, which is a rare sight for the team. Anaheim was also able to cash in on two out of three of their power plays. Montreal had three power plays and Anaheim kept them off the board.

Colton White and newcomer Scott Harrington are seeing plenty of ice time on the blue line in light of the recent trades before the deadline. Silfverberg scored his fourth goal in his last five games. And Gibson had yet another solid outing stopping 26 of 28 shots on goal by Montreal. After the early goal by Drouin, he had shut down the Canadiens until the final seconds of the game.

Anaheim has earned 9 out of a possible 10 points in their last five games going 4-1-0.

Team Notes/Stats From Pat Verbeek:

Urho Vaakanainen had hip surgery last week and will be out 5-6 months.

Anthony Stolarz is out the rest of the season with a lower body injury.

Adam Henrique suffered an MCL sprain in mid-February and is out 5-6 weeks.

What’s Next?

The Ducks travel to Seattle to face the Kraken Tuesday at 7 PM.

Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, Ducks gear, and more!

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

March 4th, 2023