John Gibson dazzles on milestone night as Ducks edge Stars
ANAHEIM — On a night of milestones, the Ducks had plenty to celebrate before the puck dropped and even more after the final horn sounded in their 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at Honda Center.
Leading the way was goaltender John Gibson, whose 500th career game was a masterpiece in which he made 26 saves to topple the NHL’s third-best team by points percentage and move the season series to 2-0 in the Ducks’ favor. Gibson, who debuted for the Ducks in 2014, has now played 53 more games than any other goalie in franchise history as he became the 85th goalie in league history to cross the 500-game threshold.
“Tonight, obviously, was a little more special, but we’re just trying to win hockey games,” Gibson said. “The guys did a great job in front of me, blocking shots and shutting it down in the third. It was a great team effort.”
Mason McTavish, who played in his 200th game, wasn’t credited with an assist but made a key defensive play that led to Cutter Gauthier’s goal before Trevor Zegras scored the game-winner early in the third period. Jacob Trouba, whom the Ducks acquired in December, played career Game No. 800, registering four shots, three blocks and two hits.
Colin Blackwell scored for Dallas, which saw its five-game winning streak come to an end. Jake Oettinger repelled 26 shots. Former Duck Ilya Lyubushkin exited the match with an injury and did not return.
After the game, John Gibson received a Gatorade shower fit for the Super Bowl’s winning coach in the dressing room.
“He’s amazing. I’ve been saying that, I feel like, since I got here,” Zegras said. “He’s one of the best athletes and [best] humans I’ve been around, and to get to experience that moment with him and the room after the game was pretty special.”
The Ducks won for the fifth time in six games and won their fourth straight on their home ice. The Ducks had leading scorer Troy Terry back (illness), while the Stars were without top defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who was deemed month-to-month after undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday marked just the second time this season that the Ducks won with fewer than three goals, the first being a 2-0 shutout of the San Jose Sharks in their season opener.
Dallas pushed late for a tying goal, testing Gibson with his opposite number seated on the bench in favor of an extra attacker but failing to solve him a second time.
With 15:53 to play, the Ducks reassumed control. A clearing attempt was knocked down at the blue line by Olen Zellweger, who sent the puck ahead to Alex Killorn, who moved it on to Zegras for a one-touch shot over the outstretched Oettinger after he had whiffed on his poke check. Though Zegras said he was “cheating” on the play, he had also disrupted Dallas’ breakout initially, applying pressure on the forecheck after a lost faceoff before scoring his sixth goal of the campaign.
“Leo (Carlsson) told me on the faceoff to jump real hard,” said Zegras, whose return from injury has sparked a 5-2-0 stretch. “I think he was taking it on his forehand, so I think I just surprised the ‘D.’ When I said I was cheating, it just meant I had faith in my teammates to win the battles. When you’re playing with a guy like Mr. Killorn, you know he’s going to make a special play.”
Zegras said of Zellweger: “He loves hockey more than anyone I’ve ever met.”
Holding a 1-0 lead at the second intermission, the Ducks then came up empty on their power play and then gave up a tying goal right after Jamie Benn’s penalty expired, 1:29 into the final frame.
Benn exited the penalty box as the Stars were coming up the ice, giving them numbers on the rush to back up the defense. He left the puck for former Duck Sam Steel, who held it patiently while awaiting the trailing Blackwell, who smacked the puck past Gibson.
The second period was even more of a netminders’ duel than the first, with neither goalie allowing a goal. Dallas’ Esa Lindell and the Ducks’ Frank Vatrano exchanged chances from close range, but Gibson and Oettinger were up to those tasks.
Late in the frame, the Ducks earned their second power play of the night, with Killorn producing a promising chance for their second unit. After Oettinger stymied Killorn, Benn went the other way on a short-handed partial breakaway that was thwarted by Gibson. The ensuing dustup in the goal crease left the Ducks with a brief two-man advantage.
Isac Lundeström’s backhand bid and follow-up attempts gave the Ducks a jolt with about 3:30 left in the first period and with 2:13 left they earned the first lead of the night.
McTavish and Robby Fabbri teamed up on the forecheck to strip Blackwell. Fabbri emerged from the corner with the puck, driving the net and leaving a drop pass that banked off Steel’s skate to Gauthier, who placed his shot precisely amid a heap of bodies. It was Gauthier’s ninth goal of his rookie season and his second against Dallas after he had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 victory on Nov. 18.
The Ducks have now beaten both Dallas and the Winnipeg Jets, the West’s top two teams entering Tuesday’s schedule, twice each, with a victory for Gibson and one for Lukáš Dostál in each season series. Overall, they’re 6-2-0 against the NHL’s five best teams by both points and points percentage.
“There’s been a lot of confidence within the group. It started when we beat Winnipeg at home,” Coach Greg Cronin said. “We had that [1-4-1] road trip where we got a little bit sloppy, but I think we got back on the rails pretty quickly. When you win, it builds belief in what you’re doing.”
NOTES
Gibson is the 10th American-born goaltender to reach the 500-game milestone and the third active one. The New York Rangers’ Jonathan Quick has appeared in 797 games and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck has played in 547. It was also Gibson’s 202nd win, leaving him four wins from tying Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the most in franchise history.