The questions didn’t catch defenseman Cam Fowler off guard after the Ducks’ 2-1 victory Saturday over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. He didn’t hesitate when asked about John Gibson’s status as one of the NHL’s elite goaltenders, especially this season.

Is he a leading contender for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie?

“(He) should be right at the top of the list,” Fowler said. “He’s been incredible.”

Is he better than ever?

“He is truly elite at what he does,” Fowler said.

Does he inspire confidence in good times and bad?

“It’s no surprise to me what he’s doing,” Fowler said.

Gibson stopped a season-high 44 shots in Saturday’s matinee, some routine and some remarkable, and earned his 163rd career victory, breaking a tie with Jonas Hiller for third on the Ducks’ all-time list. J-S Giguere holds the franchise record with 206 victories and Guy Hebert is second with 173.

“It’s nice,” Gibson said of passing Hiller. “Hopefully, I can keep climbing up.”

Troy Terry, Gibson’s fellow All-Star, scored the go-ahead goal 3:42 into the third period, his team-leading 25th. Ryan Getzlaf set up the play with an alert pass in the neutral zone and Terry did the rest, snapping a shot past Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg for a 2-1 lead for the Ducks.

Rickard Rakell gave the Ducks a short-lived 1-0 lead 6:19 into the game, a turn-and-shoot from near the right goal post that slipped through the legs of Forsberg, who wasn’t quite set in his crease. Rakell ended a 21-game drought without a goal, dating to a Dec. 3 game against the Calgary Flames.

Tyler Ennis scored the tying goal for the Senators at 7:56 of the first period, an even quicker turn-and-shoot than Rakell’s effort, beating Gibson from the slot after a long outlet pass from teammate Lassi Thomson. Ennis did well to control the puck and then whip a shot into the net.

The Ducks (23-16-8) won their second consecutive game and their fourth in five games to vault past the Vegas Golden Knights into first place in the Pacific Division. Vegas played the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning later in the evening Saturday.

The Senators (13-21-4) outplayed the Ducks for long stretches starting in the second period, but an unflappable Gibson turned them away repeatedly. Ottawa outshot the Ducks by 18-4 in the second and 16-4 in the third. It was the third consecutive game the Ducks had given up 40 shots or more.

“He’s definitely a workhorse,” Ducks assistant coach Geoff Ward said of Gibson. “I think sometimes the volume of shots keeps him in the hockey game a little more. I think it’s easier to keep him in the flow when he’s getting more work, and that sounds like a backwards statement, but it’s true for him.”

Gibson has been especially sharp since returning from a five-game absence after a positive COVID-19 test. He 4-1-1 with a 1.65 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage in his past six starts. Overall, he is 15-10-7 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

He had to be razor sharp against Ottawa’s onslaught over the final 40 minutes.

“The first period was pretty even and the second period we were all over them, and the third period was much of the same,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “They scored on their one chance, I thought, in the third period. Their goalie put a clinic on. You can come up with reasons why you don’t score or come up with different excuses. We had 45 shots and plenty of good looks, so he’s the difference.”

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