National Hockey League
Anaheim 4, Edmonton 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees: Justin St. Pierre, Brad Watson
Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Vaughan Rody
Attendance: 15600

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After disparate starts, the surging Anaheim Ducks and the struggling Edmonton Oilers are tied atop the Pacific Division.

John Gibson made a season-high 33 saves and Ryan Kesler scored his team-leading seventh goal in the Ducks' 4-1 win over the Oilers on Tuesday night in front of 15,600 at the Honda Center.

Nick Ritchie, Cam Fowler and Antoine Vermette also scored, and Corey Perry added two assists for the Ducks. Anaheim (8-6-3) used its fourth win in sixth games to move into a first-place tie with the Oilers (9-7-1).

"We're just finding different ways to win," said Fowler, whose team began the season 0-3-1. "Some nights, it's our defense not giving up too many opportunities to the other team. Other nights, it's been our special teams and power play. Tonight, it was goaltending and scoring at the right times.

"We'd like to play a little more consistent, but we're slowly finding our way as a team."

Leon Draisaitl scored his fourth goal, and goalie Cam Talbot stopped 23 shots for Edmonton, which started 7-1-0 but now has its longest losing streak of the season at four successive defeats.

"I think a lot of guys are still feeling good about themselves," said Connor McDavid, the Oilers' 19-year-old captain. "We're getting there. (The Ducks) play hard in their own zone, and we were still able to generate some chances. But we've got to figure out a way to finish them."

McDavid had two of the better opportunities. Halfway through the second period, McDavid sped toward Gibson on a breakaway but shot just wide of Gibson's left leg pad. Then with 33 seconds left in the period, Gibson kept McDavid from stuffing the puck inside the right post on a wraparound.

"He's a pretty impressive hockey player," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said of McDavid. "He can do things at a pretty high speed. He can make plays and doesn't slow down. You can see that his skating ability separates him from a lot of players. He's a bright young star and, imagine, he's only 19."

Gibson made 16 of his saves in the final 13 minutes of the second period, when the Oilers scored their only goal.

"Without him, they probably get a couple more," Fowler said. "In the second period, the last 10 minutes we spent in our own end and they had all the momentum. He was excellent tonight, probably our best player, by far. He was the reason we were able to pull this one out."

Ritchie gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead 7:13 into the game with his second goal in four games and his fourth of the season. After receiving Perry's pass near the Oilers' blue line, Ryan Getzlaf attracted the defensive attention of Darnell Nurse and Jordan Eberle before freeing Ritchie for a breakaway. Ritchie finished the play by depositing a wrist shot inside the left post.

The Oilers appeared to tie the score at 10:33 when Draisaitl deflected Matthew Benning's wrist shot from the blue line through Gibson's legs. However, the blade of the stick was above Draisaitl's shoulder, so the power-play goal was disallowed.

Anaheim expanded its lead to 3-0 in the second period by scoring twice within 5 1/2 minutes. Fowler completed a three-on-two rush with a wrist shot from the right point inside the left post for his fifth goal at 2:23. Kesler followed with his fifth goal in five games by converting the rebound of Perry's deflection in front of the net on a power play at 7:51.

Draisaitl enabled Edmonton to avoid the shutout with 1:46 left in the second period. He stickhandled from behind the net to the left circle and sent a pass intended for Zack Kassian off Fowler's stick into the net.

"I thought we needed to get out of the second period down one, not two, and it would have made a difference," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "When the margins are so tight in this league, you can't get it done with average play from five or six guys."

Vermette scored his third goal nine minutes into the third period. Trailing a two-on-one breakaway, Vermette received Joseph Cramarossa's pass and propelled a wrist shot from the slot.

NOTES: Edmonton scratched RW Jesse Puljujarvi and D Dillon Simpson. ... Oilers LW Patrick Maroon has 23 points in just 31 games with Edmonton. Edmonton acquired Maroon from the Ducks in February. ... Anaheim scratched D Korbinian Holzer. ... Ducks D Kevin Bieksa needs four assists for 300 in his career. ... Ducks C Chris Wagner cleared waivers after being placed on waivers Monday.
Top Game Performances
 
Edmonton   Anaheim
Leon Draisaitl 1 Points Corey Perry 2
Leon Draisaitl 1 Goals Cam Fowler 1
Leon Draisaitl 0 Assists Corey Perry 2
N/A Power Play Goals Ryan Kesler 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Cam Talbot .852 Save Percentage John Gibson .971
Cam Talbot 23 Saves John Gibson 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Edmonton 34 1 0-4 2-3 13 29
Anaheim 27 4 1-3 4-4 15 30
Upcoming Games
  • Anaheim will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Ducks have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Edmonton will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Oilers have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .375 after a loss.