Nicolas Deslauriers delivered a big hit on the first shift of the Ducks’ 7-4 victory Saturday over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena, sending Kyle Burroughs into the glass, then to the ice and then to the dressing room. Troy Terry then delivered a big goal on the second shift.
The Ducks got it right Saturday, turning up their energy and producing a cathartic victory in the finale of their three-game trip after two lopsided losses. They hardly looked like the same team that was routed Thursday by the Edmonton Oilers and Wednesday by the Calgary Flames.
Saturday, the Ducks won numerous battles for loose pucks, passed with a crispness that was lacking in their previous two games and skated purposefully to the front of the Canucks’ net while building a 5-0 lead by the opening minutes of the second period, chasing goalie Thatcher Demko.
Terry scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season 57 seconds into the game and the Ducks were well on their way to ending a four-game winless streak (0-3-1). Deslauriers, Rickard Rakell (power play), Adam Henrique (power play) and Sam Steel (as a power play expired) also scored.
Jaroslav Halak replaced Demko after Steel’s goal 4:20 into the second and the Canucks managed to generate some momentum, with Tanner Pearson and Elias Pettersson (power play) scoring to cut the Ducks’ lead to 5-2. Henrique’s second goal of the period made it 6-2.
Trevor Zegras was initially credited with the Ducks’ sixth goal, but Henrique was rightly given the goal after the stat crew took another look at the play. Zegras assisted on the goal, which blunted the Canucks’ comeback, his third of the game. He also set up goals by Rakell and Steel.
Deslauriers scored his second of the game to make it 7-2 early in the third.
Connor Garland and Quinn Hughes then cut it to 7-4 for Vancouver.
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Ducks goalie John Gibson, who was under siege during a 7-3 loss Thursday to the Oilers and in a 6-2 defeat to the Flames, had little to do in the first period. The Ducks assumed control, building a 3-0 lead and limiting the Canucks to only two shots on goal, neither of which put Gibson under distress.
Gibson assisted on Terry’s first-period goal, sending an alert breakout pass ahead to Hampus LIndholm, whose innocent-looking flip on Demko’s goal ended up in the back of the net. Terry, skating ahead of Lindholm, reached out and re-directed the puck past the goalie.
Gibson made 16 saves and improved to 13-2-2 in his career against the Canucks. The Ducks completed their four-game season series against the Canucks with a 3-0-1 record. They matched their season high with seven goals set during a 7-4 win Nov. 11 over the Seattle Kraken.
GETZLAF SITS AGAIN
Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf sat out Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks because of a nagging, unspecified lower-body injury. Getzlaf wanted to play against the Canucks, after sitting out Thursday’s loss to the Oilers, but Ducks coach Dallas Eakins had the final say.
NONIS DEPARTS
The Ducks and assistant general manager Dave Nonis have parted ways, giving Nonis time to search for a new job well before his contract was to end at season’s end. Scott Niedermayer will assume some but not all of Nonis’ responsibilities in his new job as an advisor to hockey operations.