February 15th, 2017
The Ducks got all the offense they needed five minutes into the game, as they defeated the Minnesota Wild 1-0 on Tuesday night.
John Gibson made 37 and earned his 4th shutout of the season, and rookie Joseph Cramarossa scored the games only goal, his 4th of the season.
The story of the night though was Antoine Vermette, who was ejected in the third period for abusing an official. Vermette lost a faceoff in the 3rd period, and used his stick to hit a linesman on the back of the legs. The Ducks forward will likely face a suspension, as the league rules state that any kind of physical force with an official results in a 10 game suspension.
The Wild went 0 for 5 on the power play, and suffered their first loss in regulation for the first time in six games. Devan Dubnyk made 22 saves for the Wild.
The 1st place Wild outshot the Ducks 37-23, but Anaheim continued their strong defensive play. The Ducks have allowed the fewest third-period goals in the league this season.
Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said his former team, the Ducks, got the goaltending they needed from Gibson. “You could tell very early on, or I could- maybe I know him a little bit- but he was really on his game and it was going to take something special to beat him,” Boudreau explained. “But we couldn’t find that.”
The Ducks return home on Friday night to take on the Panthers. Anaheim finished their five game road trip with a record of 2-3-1.