Gibson guides Ducks past Canadiens
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Goalie John Gibson tied a career high with 39 saves to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at the Honda Center.
Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler scored, while Ryan Kesler contributed two assists for the Ducks (11-8-4). Anaheim earned its second consecutive victory.
Andrew Shaw scored for the Canadiens (16-5-2), who received 36 saves from goalie Carey Price.
Montreal dominated play early by pinning the Ducks in their own end while outshooting them 8-0 in the first five minutes and 15-5 after 16 minutes. Nevertheless, Rakell used his team-leading ninth goal to put Anaheim ahead.
Rakell tried to stuff the puck inside the left post from behind the net on a power play, but Price blocked the shot. Price then stopped Kesler's attempt to convert the rebound. Rakell finally tucked the deflection inside the left post and behind Price's right skate at 16:50 of the first period.
The Canadiens' best chance to tie the score came nine minutes into the second period, when Alexander Radulov went on a breakaway. Gibson used his left leg pad to block Radulov's wrist shot.
Nearly three minutes later, Fowler extended Anaheim's lead to 2-0 when he fired a quick slap shot from the left circle that deflected off the stick of Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk and inside the left post at 11:56. With his seventh goal of the season, Fowler tied Chris Kunitz for 10th place on the Ducks' career scoring list with 192 points.
Shaw scored his fifth goal with two minutes to play in the game when he swept the puck inside the right post after the Canadiens pulled Price to create a six-on-five advantage.
NOTES: Montreal has not won a road game in California since March 5, 2014, when the Canadiens beat the Ducks in a shootout, 4-3. ... Former Canadiens and Ducks LW Travis Moen retired Tuesday. Moen, 34, spent six seasons in Montreal and four in Anaheim, where he scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Ducks in 2007. ... Montreal scratched D Zach Redmond and LW Chris Terry. ... Anaheim scratched RW Jared Boll and D Korbinian Holzer. ... Ducks C Antoine Vermette won 66.5 percent of his faceoffs to lead the NHL entering the game. He won 14 of 22 on Tuesday (63.6 percent).