Anaheim 5, Pittsburgh 3
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees:
Ghislain Hebert, Brad Watson
Linesmen:
Darren Gibbs, Pierre Racicot
Attendance:
17291
By Field Level Media
Scoring a season-high four goals in the second period Wednesday night, the Anaheim Ducks dumped the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Rickard Rakell, Adam Henrique, Chris Wagner and Ondrej Kase potted the game-deciding markers for Anaheim, which moved within two points of a Western Conference wild-card playoff spot. John Gibson earned the win in net with 30 saves.
Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm sealed the verdict with his seventh goal, an empty-netter with one second to play.
Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel scored goals for Pittsburgh, which started its three-game California road trip with a thud after winning its previous four games. Goalie Tristan Jarry took the loss, stopping 28 of 32 shots.
The Ducks owned a territorial edge in the first period, although the Penguins broke the scoring seal at 18:26 after forcing a turnover in the right corner. Patric Hornqvist fed Malkin in the right circle, and the center zipped a wrister by Gibson for his 20th goal.
That lead didn't last long. Rakell equalized at 4:17 of the second period with his 16th goal. Defenseman Francois Beauchemin fired a point blast that Rakell tipped past Jarry to start the Ducks' explosion.
Henrique gave Anaheim the lead for good at just 1:25 later. Jarry saved the first shot and then stuffed a backhand try by Kase, but Henrique picked up the next rebound, skated around the net and scored his 10th marker on a wraparound.
Wagner's short-handed tally made it 3-1 at 9:24 of the middle period. Off a Pittsburgh turnover in the neutral zone, Wagner got a breakaway and slipped the puck between Jarry's pads for his sixth goal of the season.
Kase finished off the big period with his 12th goal at 18:28. After blocking a point shot, Kase collected the loose puck for a breakaway, finishing with a backhander over Jarry.
The Penguins used the man advantage to get back into contention in the third period. Kessel wired a wrister from the right circle at 8:35 for his 21st goal, and Guentzel bagged his 14th marker at 14:06 with a short-side wrister from the left circle.
Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Anaheim's Cam Fowler each notched two assists.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Pittsburgh |
|
Anaheim |
Phil Kessel 2 |
Points |
Ondrej Kase 2 |
Phil Kessel 1 |
Goals |
Ondrej Kase 1 |
Sidney Crosby 2 |
Assists |
Ondrej Kase 1 |
Phil Kessel 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Chris Wagner 1 |
Tristan Jarry .875 |
Save Percentage |
John Gibson .909 |
Tristan Jarry 28 |
Saves |
John Gibson 30 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Pittsburgh
|
33 |
3 |
2-4 |
2-2 |
10 |
24 |
Anaheim
|
33 |
5 |
0-2 |
2-4 |
14 |
36 |
Upcoming Games
-
Anaheim will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Ducks have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Penguins have a W/L % of .458 after a win and .565 after a loss.