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The Anaheim Ducks snuck away with a win over the Vegas Golden Knights yesterday, earning a 3-2 shootout victory.
John Gibson returned for the Ducks, starting his first game in over two weeks.
The Ducks managed to open the scoring early, with Adam Henrique’s initial shot being stopped, before he swung around the net to tap in the rebound. Then despite the Ducks taking some penalties after that, Henrique scored his second of the game later in the period, just entering Vegas’ zone and winding up for a long-range slapshot, to beat Adin Hill. That was it for Hill, being pulled after only two goals, as Logan Thompson entered the game.
Only moments later though, Anaheim ended up with a power play, and instead of being able to build on the lead, they shot themselves in the foot with John Klingberg turning the puck over to Mark Stone, who then went down on a breakaway and deked Gibson, cutting the lead in half. Still, despite the Ducks being outshot 17-7 in the period, they managed to take the lead to intermission.
The Ducks then gave up avoidable chances early in the second period off some bad turnovers, but Gibson was there to bail them out. He made some excellent saves on the likes of Reilly Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev and despite the Ducks continuing to find themselves in the box, they managed to hold the lead. Late in the period though, Vegas was finally rewarded with a lucky bounce off Urho Vaakanainen’s skate, as the puck found its way in to tie the game. Anaheim was being outshot by a ridiculous 37-12 margin through 40 minutes, but remained in the game thanks to Gibson.
We saw a more even third period after that, even if only because the Ducks ended up with a couple power plays (while still managing to give up some shorthanded chances). Neither team could capitalize though, and the game continued to overtime, where Anaheim actually did take over with some good opportunities and another power play, but couldn’t convert.
As a result, it went to a shootout, where Trevor Zegras made a great move to deke Thompson and put Anaheim ahead, before Gibson stopped Mark Stone. Then after Troy Terry scored five-hole, the pressure was on Reilly Smith who couldn’t convert, as Anaheim got the extra point.
Obviously, the win came on the back of Gibson, after an incredible effort in net. The Ducks were outshot 50-22 in regulation, and between Lukas Dostal and now Gibson, goaltending continues to be the only thing keeping the Ducks in games.
The Ducks have actually managed to go 3-2-1 over their last six games, dating back to their win over the Montreal Canadiens exactly two weeks ago. That said, they’ve been outshot by an average of 42-24 per game over that stretch,
It’s wild that John Klingberg is probably going to fetch a decent return at the trade deadline. I have a hard time seeing how someone could watch some of his errors and consider him as a deadline target. Yes, he’s a great puck mover and can add offense, but his production this season has not offset the consistent mistakes.
The Ducks also desperately need to find a way to stay out of the box. They lead the league in penalty minutes and even when they’re able to kill off penalties, it’s hard to get much going when they’re spending so much time shorthanded.
Regardless, the Ducks pulled out a win, and if anything, they’re getting some great goaltending recently. They’ll be back in action tomorrow against the Nashville Predators.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER
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Ducks fall to Wild in shootout for fifth straight loss
Ducks blow lead against Jets, lose sixth straight game to end road trip
Ducks snap six-game losing streak with overtime win against Hurricanes
Ducks suffer blowout loss at home against Sharks
Ducks shut out by both Senators and Maple Leafs in back-to-back set
Ducks find some success on road trip with back-to-back wins
Ducks suffer back-to-back 4-1 losses against Kings and Wild
Ducks fall to Flames in OT, enter break on three-game skid
Nathan Gaucher, Tyson Hinds and Olen Zellweger representing Canada at WJC 
Anaheim Ducks Blogger • 
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