ANAHEIM, Calif._John Gibson picked up right where he left off.
The No. 1 netminder returned after a four-game absence to nurse a lower-body injury and spearheaded the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday before a sold-out crowd of 17,174 at Honda Center.
Gibson made a slew of sparking saves against the Oilers, captained by reigning MVP Conor McDavid, who entered the game with seven goals in his last three contests.
On one such sequence, Jesse Puljujarvi streaked down the right side and attempted to beat Gibson short side, but the goalie was there to hug the pipe.
They recollected behind the net, and McDavid let loose with a one-timer, but Gibson stonewalled them again.
It was an impressive performance from the Ducks, who resembled a Cup contender, a team that didn't show up during the five-game road swing.
The puck movement was crisp, the passes timely and they were able to (mostly) contain McDavid, who dazzled and dangled but saw his scoring streak die.
"He's one of the best in the league and when he gets that speed going, I don't think there's many Ds that can stop him," said Hampus Lindholm, who along with Josh Manson, was charged with the task of shutting McDavid down.
"You just gotta respect him, try to keep him outside and you don't want to let that guy pick up speed."
It was Lindholm who opened the scoring 2:28 in as he impressed on both sides of the ice.
With frenetic energy around the net that characterized their play all night, Ryan Kesler continued to hack at a rebound in front of Oilers goalie Cam Talbot, and eventually the puck made its way to Lindholm, who blasted it through traffic.
Over and over, the Ducks were able to consistently keep the puck alive in the zone, which seemed to tire out the quicker, young Oilers squad.
They grabbed a 2-0 lead late in the second period after Leon Draisaitl (46 points in 48 games) attempt to flip it out of the zone, only to see it collected by Ryan Getzlaf's glove.
The captain quickly flipped it to Corey Perry on the breakaway and he beat Talbot five-hole.
He has seven points in his last four games, and suddenly, Perry looks rejuvenated. The former 50-goal scorer was demoted to the fourth line but he's back playing on the top unit with Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell.
"Our forwards did a great job tonight controlling pucks down low," Manson said. " ... They helped slow down their forwards for us and they were a little bit more hungry at the net."
Kesler, in particular, was feisty at the goal all night long. The Oilers reduced the deficit to one with a goal just 68 seconds after Perry scored, but the Ducks went ahead for good early in the third.
Once again, it was Lindholm shooting, and this time Kesler was in front to tap it past Talbot.
It was a much-needed second consecutive victory for the Ducks, who went winless in Canada, but now have Gibson back in goal as they push forward in an ultra-tight playoff race.
They were disciplined, for a change, and only spent six minutes in the penalty box (not counting Kevin Bieksa's first-period slugfest with former teammate Patrick Maroon.)
The Ducks allowed five goals in one contest and seven in another during the three-game swing through Canada.
After shutting down the NHL's most dangerous skater, they seem to be feeling confident the faulty defensive play is behind them.
