Ducks grab win in shootout
Rakell’s goal makes the difference after Gibson holds off Senators in regulation.
OTTAWA — After an evenly matched yet sloppy three periods and five minutes of scoreless “pond hockey,” the Ducks finished on top Tuesday night.
Rickard Rakell scored the shootout winner and the Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators for their fourth win in five games.
Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase scored in regulation for Anaheim, and Kase scored the other shootout goal for the Ducks.
John Gibson made 30 saves as the Ducks improved to 2-0-0 on their five-game trip that started with a 3-1 win at Staples Center against the Kings.
Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins thought his team played slowly and turned the puck over far too many times and will need to control the pace better if it hopes to make this a strong trip.
“We were very lucky,” Eakins said. “I’m not sure we got what we deserved. That was not a very good game by us, but John Gibson held us in and we got some timely scoring.”
“It’s pond hockey a little bit when it’s three-on-three and could go either way,” Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau said of the overtime period. “We had our chances, they had their chances and it goes into a shootout and that’s not hockey, but that’s what it is right now so not much we can do.”
Drake Batherson and Artem Anisimov scored for Ottawa. Marcus Hogberg stopped 26 shots.
“Really I thought we had a good game,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “We had our chances to win in overtime and we didn’t and they win in a shootout.”
With 10 home games this month, the Senators hope to improve their record at Canadian Tire Centre, where they’re 1-4-5 in their last 10.
Anaheim opened the scoring midway through the first period when Ritchie tipped Hampus Lindholm’s shot to beat Hogberg.
The Senators tied it early in the period as Batherson scored a power-play goal for his second of the season.
“I’m definitely feeling a lot more comfortable than I was at the start of the year,“Batherson said. “I think if you ask any guy they’re the same way. The more time they’re here the more they get comfortable and that’s how I’m feeling. I had some space to skate with the puck and that’s what I tried to do.”
Kase took a bounce off the back boards and tucked in a backhand to make it 2-1 at the 13:35 mark of the second period.
Anisimov’s 10th of the season tied the score 2-2 with a power-play goal early in the third, tipping Colin White’s shot past Gibson.
“I leave here tonight knowing that our guys worked hard,” Smith said. “We had a couple grade-A’s in overtime but they didn’t go in.”