John Gibson returns and makes 38 saves in Ducks’ win over Columbus
John Gibson made 38 saves, Brett Leason and Jackson LaCombe each scored their first goals of the season and the Ducks ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night at Honda Center.
Gibson made his season debut after having an emergency appendectomy in September.
The Ducks got off to a fast start when Leason scored 3:13 into the game off a feed from Cutter Gauthier.
Kirill Kaprizov finishes with two goals and an assist to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-2 victory over a Ducks team that has lost four consecutive games.
Columbus tied it late in the first period when Yegor Chinakhov scored his fourth goal of the season. Anaheim grabbed a 2-1 lead at 4:22 of the second period when LaCombe converted off a loose puck.
Leo Carlsson scored for the Ducks with 9:40 left in the game, but the Blue Jackets moved back within a goal on a shot from the slot by Kirill Marchenko with 3:03 left.
Isac Lundestrom scored into an empty net to put the game away.
Takeaways
Blue Jackets: Jack Johnson played in his 1,200th career NHL game, while Zach Werenski became the fourth defenseman to play in 500 career games with Columbus. Werenski assisted Chinakhov’s goal
Ducks: The veteran Gibson showed little rust in his season debut, starting off with a win. Gibson is in his 12th season with Anaheim and last had a winning record in the 2018-19 season.
Key moment: The Ducks took the lead for good early in the second period after LaCombe scored a rebound off the stick of teammate Troy Terry.
Key stat: The Ducks were giving up an average of four goals per game during their four-game losing streak before they delivered a much-needed standout defensive performance.
Up next: Columbus plays at Seattle on Tuesday, while the Ducks are home against the Golden Knights on Wednesday.
