Ducks @ Canucks RECAP: Gibson dazzles, Terry extends point streak as Ducks win 5th straight game
The Anaheim Ducks (6-4-3, 15 points) began a 2-game Pacific Northwest road trip on Tuesday evening, squaring off against the Vancouver Canucks (5-6-1, 11 points) at Rogers Arena. The Ducks capitalized on incredible performances by goaltender John Gibson and forward Troy Terry, winning in OT by the final score of 3-2.
Ducks Place GM Bob Murray on Administrative Leave
The Ducks entered this contest on a 4-game winning streak, the longest such streak during the Dallas Eakins era. Since mid-October, Anaheim’s xGF% at 5v5 has climbed steadily from the mid-30’s to near 50% (source: MoneyPuck). In addition, Troy Terry (15 points, 8G, 7A) carried an 11-game point streak into this game, the longest such streak in the NHL this season. Notably, Trevor Zegras returned to the lineup in this game after having missed 2 consecutive games with an upper body injury.
Despite all of the recent success and positivity surrounding Anaheim, the dominant story preceding tonight’s puck drop was the revelation earlier today that longtime Ducks General Manager Bob Murray had been placed on administrative leave pending “an ongoing investigation related to professional conduct”. Crash The Pond writer CJ Woodling detailed this bombshell news in an article posted earlier today. According to The Daily Faceoff, “Murray is under investigation for allegations of creating a toxic workplace environment by way of his repeated verbal abuse and harassment of Ducks players, coaches and personnel, plus his intimidation tactics and temper tantrums that fostered a culture of fear throughout the organization.”
1st Period
Anaheim was outshot 24-10 during the 1st period, where they posted a dismal 32.4 CF%. They were also out-chanced, posting a more respectable 47.1 xGF%. Vancouver was extremely aggressive throughout the period, often skating quickly to loose pucks and applying an aggressive forecheck.
The Ducks came into this contest with the 3rd best Power Play % in the NHL, boasting a 27.3% success rate. The PP buoyed them once again with 8:42 remaining in the 1st period, as Cam Fowler rifled a puck past Jaroslav Halak on the Ducks man advantage, giving them a 1-0 lead. Troy Terry earned his 7th assist on the play, extending his lead-leading point streak to 12 games. John Gibson was rock solid throughout the period, continuing his stellar play as of late. His excellent goaltending in shorthanded situations this season was evident again during this period, as he made several gorgeous saves on the Canucks only powerplay of the period.
The Ducks ended the period with 1:10 remaining on their powerplay and carried a 1-0 lead into the 2nd period.
2nd Period
Anaheim was once again out-shot and out-chanced in the 2nd period, posting a 38.7 CF% and 46.5 xGF%, respectively. The Ducks were unable to capitalize on the remainder of their powerplay to start the period, and also came up empty on their second powerplay of the period after a Hooking penalty was committed by Tanner Pearson. John Gibson continued his stellar play in this period, and that (along with his friend the goal post) was the primary driver behind the Ducks preserving their 1-0 lead heading into the final period.
3rd Period
The Ducks posted a 62.8 xGF% and 41.7 CF% at 5v5 in the 3rd period. With 15:11 remaining in the period, Trevor Zegras was called for a slashing penalty after chopping at the skates of Kyle Burroughs. The Ducks were able to kill off the penalty, notching their 13th consecutive successful PK. Later in the period, Isac Lundestrom scored his 3rd goal of the season, assisted by Jamie Drysdale and Max Comtois. The puck was initially ruled to have been kept out of the Canucks goal, but a replay review confirmed that it was a good goal, giving Anaheim a 2-0 lead.
With 6:31 remaining in the period, J.T. Miller scored his 6th goal of the season on a wrist shot through traffic in front of the net, cutting the Ducks lead to 2-1. Anaheim nearly reclaimed their 2-goal lead on a breakaway opportunity for Troy Terry and Ryan Getzlaf, but Jaroslav Halak was called for a tripping penalty which disrupted the breakaway chance with 2:49 remaining in the period. However, Canucks forward Elias Pettersson tied the game at 2-2, scoring a shorthanded goal with just 5 seconds left on the Ducks PP after Derek Grant lost his stick. The game remained tied for the rest of the period, setting up the Ducks 5th overtime showdown of the season.
Overtime
John Gibson was absolutely spectacular during the extra frame in this game, keeping Anaheim alive long enough for a 3-on-1 breakaway to develop. Ryan Getzlaf entered the Canucks zone and eventually made a perfect cross-zone pass to Troy Terry, who easily beat Jaroslav Halak for his team-leading 9th goal of the season, elevating Anaheim to a thrilling 3-2 OT victory and extending their winning streak to 5 games.
Final Thoughts
While the Ducks played a respectable 5v5 game (51.2 xGF% at 5v5), they were also outshot (37.0 CF%) and allowed 10 High Danger Chances at 5v5 while generating only 7 for themselves. However, John Gibson came to the Ducks rescue and stole the game from the Canucks during the OT period, allowing for the eventual game winning goal by Troy Terry. This was a very exciting game overall, once again showcasing significant growth for the Ducks’ young core, and a return-to-form season for goaltender John Gibson.
3 Stars
1. John Gibson (43 saves)
2. Troy Terry (1 goal, 1 assist, 79.1 xGF%)
3. Ryan Getzlaf (1 assist, 82.5 xGF%)
Up Next
The Ducks conclude their two-game Northwest excursion on Thursday night as they play the Seattle Kraken for the first time at Climate Pledge Arena, with the puck dropping at 7pm PT.
Note: all statistics included in this article are per Natural Stat Trick.