Ducks edge Islanders to snap skid
ANAHEIM, Calif -- The Anaheim Ducks are still trying to figure out how to score a power-play goal, but did a bunch of other things correctly in pulling out a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.
The Ducks (2-1-1) failed to score on four power plays, making them 0-for-15 on the season, but got goals from three different players and 39 saves from goaltender John Gibson to snap a two-game losing streak at Honda Center.
The Islanders (1-2-1) failed to score on five power plays and are 0-and-15 themselves to open the season. They lost despite finishing with a 41-30 edge in shots.
It only took 37 seconds for the Ducks to take a 1-0 first period lead. Center Ryan Getzlaf wristed a pass to defensemen Josh Manson, who gathered the puck off the boards and zipped a shot that rebounded directly to winger Andrew Cogliano, whose backhand shot beat goalie Jaroslav Halak.
The Islanders answered at 13:09 when defensemen Scott Mayfield's shot from the point was deflected by Brock Nelson past Gibson. The game remained tied 1-1 after the first but the Islanders held a 21-6 advantage in shots on goal and were the more aggressive team.
The Ducks came out with much more energy to start the second, quickly narrowed the gap in shots and took a 2-1 lead at 8:39 when center Rickard Rakell deflected a long blast that came off the stick of teammate Cam Fowler. The puck slid between Halak's leg pads before the goalie had a chance to react.
It was Rakell's second goal of the season and his overall solid play along with the return of forward Patrick Eaves, who had missed the first three games with a lower-body injury, provided Anaheim with its best overall lineup of the season so far.
Eaves, who scored a career-high 32 goals last season, got on the board for the first time in the new campaign and gave Anaheim a 3-1 lead at 5:32 of the third period when he gathered a pass from Manson and ripped a shot past Halak.
The Islanders did not go away quietly, however. Nelson scored his second goal of the game at 7:57 of the third to make it 3-2.
NOTES: Ducks RW Ondrej Kase did not play after suffering a head injury against Calgary on Monday night. Coach Randy Carlyle said Kase is day-to-day. ... LW Nick Ritchie (lower-body injury) skated Wednesday morning but was also scratched. ... Islanders coach Doug Weight said that RW Cal Clutterbuck (hip injury) was still not "ready" and the veteran missed his third straight game.