The Anaheim Ducks went into Thursday’s action on a franchise-worst 12 game losing streak. Over that slump they lost their playoff position, but they had enough of a cushion that they were still very much in the running. Last night they took a step towards righting the ship with a 3-0 win against the Minnesota Wild.
Conveniently for Anaheim, Minnesota also holds the second Wild Card spot, so this win helped close the gap there. The Wild still have the edge with 49 points in 47 games, but Anaheim is right in there with 49 points in 48 contests. It’s a wide open race though with the Edmonton Oilers (49 points in 47 games, but a worse ROW than Minnesota), and Vancouver (48 points in 48 games) also very much in the mix.
Of course, the Ducks losing streak realistically couldn’t go for much longer, but this was a rather convincing win. Anaheim jumped out to a 3-0 lead by 7:58 of the first period, chasing Alex Stalock out of the contest. From there, Ducks goaltender John Gibson was the hero, stopping 37 shots to earn a shutout. It isn’t ideal that Anaheim was outshot 12-2 in the second period and 15-8 in the third frame, but it also isn’t shocking given that they were playing with a sizeable lead.
Either way, the Ducks need to build on this win to avoid slipping further. They don’t have much time to rest either, as they’ll play in New Jersey on Saturday and be hosted by the Islanders on Sunday.
BOSTON 5 ST. LOUIS 2
Carl Gunnarsson found the back of the net for St. Louis. It was his first goal and fourth point in 13 contests.
Chris Wagner netted the game-winning goal and registered an assist. He’s up to six goals and 11 points in 45 games.
David Krejci assisted on three of Boston’s five goals. That gives him 10 goals and 40 points in 48 contests this season.
Tuukka Rask stopped 28 of 30 Blues shots. He’s won six of his last seven games, bringing his record to 14-8-3.
Jake Allen allowed four goals on 26 shots. He was perfect in the first period despite the Bruins out shooting St. Louis 13-9 in that frame, but he surrendered two goals in each of the second and third periods.
NY ISLANDERS 4 NEW JERSEY 1
Anders Lee led the charge for the Islanders with a pair of goals. He has 18 markers and 37 points in 46 games.
It was Michael Dal Colle that accounted for the game-winner though. It was his first goal and second point in 14 career games.
Robin Lehner saved 16 of 17 shots versus New Jersey. This is the second straight start where he held the competition to just one goal, though obviously not much got through to him this time.
Mackenzie Blackwood wasn’t horribly busy easier, but allowed three goals on 25 shots. He’s 5-3-0 with a 2.33 GAA and .930 save percentage in 11 games.
Andy Greene netted the Devils’ lone goal. That gives him three goals and 14 points in 47 games.
NY RANGERS 4 CHICAGO 3
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 24 of 27 shots to pick up his second straight win. This one was the 445th victory of his career, which puts him in a tie with Terry Sawchuk for sixth place on the all-time wins list. He’s also within striking distance of Curtis Joseph (454 wins).
At the other end of the ice, Collin Delia turned aside 29 of 32 shots. He has a 3-2-3 record, 2.75 GAA, and .929 save percentage in nine contests.
Brandon Saad scored a power-play goal for the Blackhawks. It was his 14th goal and 26th point in 47 games.
Chris Kreider scored a goal and registered an assist. The Rangers forward has 22 goals and 37 points in 47 games.
Mika Zibanejad scored the game-winning goal. That gives him 15 goals and 42 points in 47 contests.
TORONTO 4 TAMPA BAY 2
Nazem Kadri scored a goal and registered an assist. He’s up to 10 goals and 28 points in 46 games.
Patrick Marleau also had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs. He has 11 goals and 22 points in 46 contests.
Frederik Andersen stopped 36 of 38 Lightning shots. This was his first win and second game since returning from a groin injury.
Brayden Point found the back of the net and registered an assist for Tampa Bay. That gives him 30 goals and 63 points in 48 games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 27 of 30 shots last night. He has a 19-6-2 record, 2.48 GAA, and .925 save percentage in 27 starts.
Hooray for the Leafs !!!
WINNIPEG 5 NASHVILLE 1
Brendan Lemieux scored Winnipeg’s first and last goals of the contest. He has five goals and six points in 31 games.
Mason Appleton contributed the game-winning goal. It was his second marker and fourth point in 21 games.
Nashville’s only goal was scored by Viktor Arvidsson. He has 18 goals and 25 points in 25 games.
Pekka Rinne stopped 29 of 34 Jets shots. He’s surrendered an ugly 14 goals over his last three starts.
Connor Hellebuyck saved 37 of 38 shots on Thursday. He’s won four of his last five starts, giving him a 21-13-1 record.
ANAHEIM 3 MINNESOTA 0
John Gibson earned a 37-save shutout. Obviously the Ducks were struggling as a team going into tonight's action and he was no exception. He had allowed 22 goals over his previous six starts.
Zach Parise fired a staggering 11 shots on Gibson. That’s the most shots Parise has ever recorded in a single game.
Adam Henrique scored the first and therefore game-winning goal. It was his ninth marker and 26th point in 48 games.
Rickard Rakell also found the back of the net for Anaheim. He’s up to eight goals and 24 points in 35 games.
Alex Stalock stopped just five of eight shots in 7:58 minutes of ice time. Devan Dubnyk stepped in and made 15 saves the rest of the way.
LOS ANGELES 2 DALLAS 1
Jack Campbell stopped 29 of 30 shots in his first career game against Dallas. The Stars are the team that originally took him with the 11th overall pick in 2010. He almost had a shutout too.
Esa Lindell scored the Stars’ goal at 18:56 of the third period. It was his seventh goal and 18th point in 48 games.
Carl Hagelin netted the game-winning goal. He has two goals and six points in 27 contests.
Dustin Brown also found the back of the net for Los Angeles. That gives him 12 goals and 28 points in 38 games.
Ben Bishop saved 17 of 19 Kings shots. He’s lost three of his last four starts, which gives him a 15-12-2 record this season.
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