Gibson shuts the door, five players score as Ducks bounce back in Seattle

SEATTLE – After the Seattle Kraken took out the Anaheim Ducks on home ice and knocked out the Ducks top-line center on Monday, Anaheim took its own chunk of flesh in the second end of the home-and-home on Wednesday.

John Gibson made a season-high 43 saves, including 20 stops in the third period, as the Ducks went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and scored five goals from five players on the other end to bounce back in Seattle, 5-2, at Climate Pledge Arena.

“We played really well,” Gibson told the Victory+ broadcast. “We did a lot of good things offensively, getting pucks to the net, getting bodies to the net. We found a way to get some really greasy goals. It was a big team win.”

Gibson is unbeaten in regulation in his five starts (4-0-1) since returning from a preseason appendectomy. Wednesday was his second 40-save performance.

Gibson made 12 saves over the final 3:26, as the Kraken couldn’t break through on a double-minor power play. The Ducks have silenced the last 13 power plays against.

“I felt pretty good on my reads,” Gibson said. “Feel like I’m reading the play well, staying square, staying calm. Just having fun.”

Trevor Zegras, Alex Killorn and Cutter Gauthier each posted two-point nights with a goal and an assist for each player. Frank Vatrano and Brett Leason scored in the first period for a 2-0 lead.

“I feel like it took us a while to figure it out,” Gauthier said, “but now that we’ve figured it out, just playing super fast, playing north. Not messing around with it around the blue lines. It’s predictable that way, but when everything’s predictable, it’s an easy game.”

Anaheim (9-9-3, 21 points) next hosts the Los Angeles Kings in the Ducks’ traditional Black Friday matinee. The Kings won the first round of the Freeway Face-off, 4-1, on Oct. 20.

Seattle (11-11-1, 23 points) had won eight straight against Anaheim. Joey Daccord made 28 saves in his first career loss against the Ducks in four games. Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored to tie the game, 2-2, in the second period.

Anaheim came out looking to establish a physical presence, and their direct attack led to a spinning goal by Vatrano in the slot and a hard blast by Leason that leaked through Daccord for the 2-0 lead.

The Ducks outhit Seattle 16-7 in the first period and 34-21 in the game.

“It’s pretty simple for us,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said about the team’s identity. “We put pucks deep. You saw it was a physical style to start the game. I felt like we sustained it for the 60 minutes. I’ve been saying all year, when you get good sticks and you finish checks, that means you’re skating, and I thought we got that for 60 minutes.”

After Seattle scored on a broken play and a turnover forced behind the Ducks net, Anaheim got back to its direct game.

Mason McTavish forced a turnover below the Seattle goal line, which Zegras pounced on and fed Killorn for the one-timer in front and the lead, 3-2.

In the final minute of the period, Gauthier pierced a corner on the power play around a Leason screen for a two-goal lead into the third period, 4-2.

In the third period, Gibson was active and locked in, as the veteran netminder turned away a shorthanded breakaway from Yanni Gourde for his second of 20 saves in the final 20 minutes.

Zegras made a highlight goal for insurance in the third period, as he gloved down a puck in the slot, coasted to the goal line and slid the puck in on the sharp angle, 5-2.

Game Notes

• Ducks forward Leo Carlsson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not make the trip to Seattle. The 19-year-old Swede did not play the final 25 minutes of Monday’s game after taking a late hit and going to the locker room.

• Zegras’ two-point night gave him 12 points in 12 career games against Seattle. Troy Terry earned an assist for 13 points in 12 career games against the Kraken.

• Zegras has scored seven points in the last six games. Leason has eight points in the last eight games.