Recap: Gibson's 41 Saves Backstop Ducks to 3-2 Win over New York

The Ducks kicked off a three-game Thanksgiving weekend homestand with a 3-2 win, knocking off the New York Rangers tonight at Honda Center.
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With the victory, Anaheim's first in regulation this season, the Ducks improved to 6-13-1 and 4-4-0 on home ice. The Ducks continue their homestand Friday with the club's annual Black Friday matinee.

Seven Ducks found the scoresheet in the win, including a two-point performance (1-1=2) by defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. Troy Terry and Mason McTavish also scored for Anaheim, while Cam Fowler, Trevor Zegras and Max Jones added assists.
John Gibson backstopped Anaheim to victory in his 16th start of the season, stopping 41-of-43 New York shots. Gibson is now three wins from tying Guy Hebert (173) for second-most in Ducks history.
Braden Schneider and Barclay Goodrow scored for the Rangers, who fell to 10-7-4 on the year. Jaroslav Halak made 19 saves.
Anaheim and New York split the two-game season series, with each side defending their home ice.
The teams would trade opening salvos about halfway into the first period, but not before Gibson announced his arrival to the action with a stick-save robbery. With the Rangers on the power play, a blocked shot bounced to the left circle and set up Mika Zibanejad with a open-net chance while Gibson searched for the puck. The Anaheim netminder found it with no time to spare, lunging back with his stick to deny the bid just before the puck crossed the goal line.

New York would still go ahead first minutes later though, claiming the night's initial lead when Goodrow blocked an Anaheim attempt in his own zone, out-raced John Klingberg to the Ducks net and beat Gibson with a forehand shot through the five-hole.
The goal marked the 50th of Goodrow's eight-year NHL career. Now in his second season with New York after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay, Goodrow has 5-5=10 points in 21 games this season.
Anaheim responded half-a-minute later on a hard-working effort by McTavish and Jones, who combined to dig a loose puck free behind the New York net and get it up to Kulikov at the right point. Kulikov got his shot past a New York block attempt and appeared to have it tipped on the way, preventing Halak from cleanly handling the bid. Instead, the rebound bounced right to McTavish at the side of the net, where he quickly swiped it home to tie the game at one.

The 19-year-old McTavish has found the scoresheet in two of his last three games (1-1=2) and owns 3-7=10 points on the season. He's third among team leaders in assists and fifth in scoring.
That 1-1 score would last into the opening minute of the second period, when a Halak miscue put the Ducks in front. As the puck came to Kulikov at the hashmarks along the right wing wall, the veteran defenseman found no passing options and instead turned to fire the puck on net. Halak had immediate trouble picking up the shot, seemingly trying to pin it between his arm and his torso, but instead having the puck trickle through him and over the line, putting the Ducks ahead 2-1.

Kulikov, one of eight Ducks to appear in each of the club's first 20 games, has 2-5=7 points at the quarter mark of his first season in Anaheim. He co-leads Ducks blueliners in goals, and is third in points and assists.
With an assist, Fowler extended his point streak to five games (2-6=8), matching the longest run of his career. Henrique also tallied a helper on the go-ahead goal and now has points in six of his last seven games (4-4=8).
Terry doubled the advantage five minutes later, giving the Ducks a two-goal cushion with a classic Troy Terry goal. After the Rangers knocked the puck away from Zegras at center ice, Terry skated into it, sprinting ahead for a one-on-one with defenseman K'Andre Miller. Terry waited until the last moment, as he's done many times before, then pulling the puck tight to his and Miller's feet and firing a wrister just under the crossbar and past Halak to the blocker side.

Terry leads the Ducks in points (8-13=21) and assists, and co-leads in goals. The 25-year-old winger also ranks fifth among NHL leaders in even-strength points (18), trailing only Erik Karlsson, Sidney Crosby, Jason Robertson and Matthew Tkachuk.
It appeared that two-goal lead would carry over into the third, but New York got back within one just prior to the intermission on a seeing-eye shot by Schneider. The Rangers defenseman took his shot from the right circle, sneaking it between Fowler and a screening Chris Kreider and then through Gibson to cut the Ducks lead to one headed to the third period.
Gibson kept Anaheim ahead early in the final stanza despite a quick Rangers power play, making his best stop on an incredible right-to-left lunge, getting just enough of Zibanejad's one-timer to deflect it off the side of the post and away from danger.

From there, New York's best chance to level the score would come with just three minutes left in regulation when Panarin's point shot got by Gibson but rung off the post, keeping the Ducks in command.
Anaheim would slam the door shut from there to seal the win, preventing New York from getting set up in the offensive zone and taking any looks at Gibson.
The Ducks continue a three-game homestand with an annual Black Friday tradition, hosting the Ottawa Senators at Honda Center.