ANAHEIM, Calif. – On a night when the Honda Center crowd welcomed back the formerly longest-tenured Anaheim Duck in Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson, it only made sense for the current longest-tenured Duck to bookend another high-paced Anaheim performance.
Troy Terry potted a shorthanded goal to open the scoring and an empty-netter to seal off a 5-2 victory, as the Ducks shut down the Red Wings on Halloween night.
Terry put together a three-point night with two more assists and extended his point streak to six games. His shorthanded goal marked six-of-seven successful penalty kills on the night.
“Too many opportunities. That’s what we got to get better at,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said of his penalty kill, “but I thought the guys did a good job being aware of some of the key plays that they were trying to do, got some sticks in some good lanes, got some clears, timely saves. They spend a lot of time in our end when they’re on the power play, so we’re holding our breath a little bit, but got through it.”
Leo Carlsson registered his second career four-point night with a goal and three assists to further his point streak to five straight games.
Mason McTavish scored his first home goal of the season on a whirling trip around the offensive zone and a needle shot through traffic. Chris Kreider popped in a power play goal in his return to the line-up from illness.
Anaheim (6-3-1, 13 points) next hosts New Jersey on Sunday.
For the first time in his 13-season NHL career, John Gibson took to the ice at Honda Center in opposing colors on Friday night.
“That’s going to be a little weird, but we texted, I told him he has a nice gear, that I like it,” Gibson’s former creasemate Lukáš Dostál said Thursday. “It looks good. Those colors fit him, and I hope he’s having a good time there.. He has been a mentor for me since day one, so it’s going to be a little emotional, but it’s going to be fun to play against him.”
After 12 seasons with Anaheim, Gibson is the franchise’s all-time leader in goalie games played (506), second all-time in wins (204, just two short of Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s team record) and third all-time in shutouts (24).
Gibson left a legacy in Orange County that extends beyond the record books and deep into the community.
“Everything I did there, I don’t take it for granted,” Gibson told NHL.com. “I’m super fortunate and blessed to have been able to be part of that organization, play there for so long. But nice time to get a change, and excited to be here.”
Entering Friday with Detroit, Gibson was 4-2-0 in six starts with a 3.20 GAA and .876 save percentage. Despite Dostal’s blessing on Gibson’s gear, it was odd for the longest tenured Duck to go up against the previously longest tenured Duck before his trade to Detroit over the summer.
“It’ll be weird. I won’t lie to you,” Troy Terry said on Thursday. “He’s someone that I’ve been with since, other than this year, since I came into the league. So obviously excited to see him from the human side of things, and we all wish the best for him but it’s definitely going to be a little weird seeing him.”
Not weird enough to distract Terry from roofing the first goal of the game over Gibson’s blocker. Terry said he didn’t chirp his former teammate for that one… yet.
“No, I didn’t want to give it to him, but he said good shot,” Terry said postgame. “So, I think now the door is open. I’m going to go see him in a second here. So we’ll see where that conversation goes.”
Gibson received the customary video tribute during a first-period stoppage and a standing ovation from the Honda Center crowd.
Terry’s opening strike of the game came on a shorthanded rush, and it was the Ducks’ second shorthanded goal in as many games, after Leo Carlsson potted a shorty in Florida on Tuesday.
A rare feat, but not rare enough that the Ducks accomplished it just 21 games ago in March of last season.
What was rarer about this pair of Ducks shorthanded markers was the players involved. On Tuesday, Carlsson scored with assists from Terry and Drew Helleson. On Friday, Terry scored with assists from Carlsson and Helleson.
“In preseason, we (Carlsson and Terry) were killing together,” Terry said, “and (Ryan McGill), our penalty kill coach, he mentioned right away, he was like, I can tell you’re thinking too much out there. And he’s like, you and Leo are just smart hockey players. Just play. You have your general assignments, but just try to read off each other and just play hockey. So I feel like that’s what we’re doing.”
That marked the first time in Ducks franchise history that the same trio of players combined on the same shorthanded goal in consecutive games. It was the first time this happened across the NHL since the Montreal Canadiens pulled off the feat in 2015.
Helleson also became the first Ducks defenseman since Cam Fowler in 2017 to register shorthanded points in consecutive games.
“Helly’s made some really poised plays back there,” Terry said, “and if we get the chance to go on the rush, we’re always excited for that.”
Chris Kreider took the onus for three of the Ducks seven penalties against, but he also made up for it with his own penalty kill efforts and a power play goal in the third period.
“I think there was some looks earlier that they got that are–Dosty had some fantastic saves on,” Kreider said. “Then I think we tighten it up a little bit as the game went on. We were able to pressure a little better and support each other a little better, get some clears and not really let them set up, get as many looks.”
“Obviously, we’re on the kill a few too many times, and I was a big part of that problem was taking three penalties. Best way to kill penalties is to not kill penalties at all, and not have to go to the box and leave your team short handed. So personally, I got to be a little smarter in those situations, and not put us on the kill.”
How much has Carlsson grown in a short span?
“At least leaps and at least bounds,” Joel Quenneville said. “He’s been that good. He’s been the wow factor.”
Carlsson is on a five-game point streak and has netted 15 points in just 10 games this season.
Terry is on his own six-game point streak, and while crediting his own increased confidence at five-on-five, Terry also confided that “playing with 91 helps too.”
Carlsson is one of just six players in the last 30 years to score 15 points in their first 10 games at age 20 or younger, joining Macklin Celebrini, Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal and Ilya Kovalchuck.
“He’s a freak,” Chris Kreider said. “I don’t know what else there is to say.”
With his fourth career game of three or more points, Carlsson passed Trevor Zegras for second-most in that category and trails just Mason McTavish’s five times.