Ducks @ Coyotes MORNING THOUGHTS

If anyone was still skeptical about John Gibson being among the very best of the goaltenders in the league, if not front-running them, the last two games should wipe that all away. The Ducks defeated the Arizona Coyotes last night 1-0. The Ducks were heavily outshot again, with a majority coming in the third period, but once again John Gibson answered the call of being the Ducks saving grace...literally.

- Cam Fowler on John Gibson’s performance to start the season.

Gibson made 41 saves, 22 of which came in the third period, to earn his first shutout of the season and give the Ducks their second win. The Ducks didn’t do Gibby (or themselves) any favors when they took two penalties in the final two minutes of the game, giving Arizona a 5-on-3 for the final minute. Every attempt from the Coyotes yielded the same result however. With an Arizona player skating away with their heads to the sky or their hands on their head wondering how they didn’t score.

Mamime Comtois broke the tie late in the second to give the Ducks the lead, and the eventual game-winner. After taking a stretch pass from Fowler, Comtois was able to put it five hole on Raanta. This was Comtois’ second goal in as many games as he’s clearly been the most impressive rookie so far.

BEST AND WORST

Best:

John Gibson is really freaking good.

Worst:

Ryan Getzlaf exited the game in the third period after being the ice for about 10 seconds during a shift. He made a cut forward to enter the zone and immediately let up and circled back for the bench. He wouldn’t return to the game. These was no contact causing this injury, which makes me worried it has something to do with his knee. We won’t know more for at least a few days, but there could be terrible news coming to the Ducks (and my fantasy team). All we can do is hope it’s something small.

Best:

Maxime Comtois and Kiefer Sherwood continue to impress. If Comtois can continue to score for the Ducks, it will be a much needed relief with Perry and Kase out for the foreseeable future. Sherwood got several chances himself, and seemed to be everywhere on the ice during his shifts. He took some hard hits, paying the price for the positioning he was getting, but it just shows he’s willing to get to those difficult spots.

Worst:

The Ducks offensive zone time was less than impressive. There were few instances where the Ducks held the puck in the offensive zone for an extended period of time. Most of their chances came off of stretch passes with a single shot attempt. This included their power play which they went 0-2 on.

“The Kids” Rankings

1. Maxime Comtois

2. Kiefer Sherwood

3. Sam Steel

4. Troy Terry

Three Stars of the Game

1. John Gibson

2. Maxime Comtois

3. John Gibson’s water bottle, for keeping him hydrated.