Red-hot Ducks power past Penguins

[December 18, 2018]  The Anaheim Ducks erased a two-goal deficit by scoring three times in the second period Monday in a 4-2 win over the host Pittsburgh Penguins.

Adam Henrique, Kiefer Sherwood and, with a goal that stood as the winner, Ondrej Kase scored in the second for Anaheim. The Ducks earned their sixth consecutive road win, their ninth victory in 10 games overall, and improved to 7-0-1 when leading after two periods.

Ryan Getzlaf scored an empty-net goal with 49 seconds remaining. He and Henrique also added an assist apiece.

Goaltender John Gibson, a native of Pittsburgh, made 28 saves for Anaheim.

Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust staked the Penguins to a 2-0 lead with first-period goals. It was the third straight game in which the Penguins blew a two-goal lead, but they won the first two as they were attempting to sweep a three-game homestand.

Casey DeSmith stopped 32 of 35 Ducks shots.

Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead at 9:38 of the first on Malkin's power-play goal. Malkin netted his 11th of the season, but just his second in 12 games, on a shot through traffic, particularly a screen set by teammate Jake Guentzel.

Rust picked up his fifth goal in four games at 14:32 of the first to extend the Penguins' lead to 2-0. He was near the right post when he got a feed from the right corner by Sidney Crosby and stuffed the puck inside the post.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) defends Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) during the first period at PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Anaheim started its comeback with Henrique's power-play goal at 2:07 of the second. Former Penguins winger Daniel Sprong began the play with a sharp-angle shot that DeSmith stopped. Nick Ritchie kicked the rebound over to Henrique, who lifted the puck under the crossbar.

Sherwood tied it 2-2 at 5:33 of the second on a blast from the top of the slot while using Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta as a screen.

Kase got his sixth goal in as many games to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead with 1:13 left in the second. Getzlaf won an offensive-zone faceoff and got a shot through to the net. Kase deposited the rebound.

The empty-net tally was Getzlaf's ninth goal of the season.

--Field Level Media

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