Anaheim Ducks right wing Chris Stewart, who scored the game-winning goal in a shoot out against the Florida Panthers, celebrates with goalie Frederik Andersen in an NHL hockey game Wednesday, November 4, 2015, in Anaheim, Calif. Anaheim won 3-2.
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The Ducks, who matched their highest goal total of the season, scored 10 in the first 10 games but have recorded three in the first period twice in the last three contests.
Anaheim Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg drives Florida Panthers defenseman…
Penguins 3, Canucks 2: VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the season and Marc-Andre Fleury made 18 saves as Pittsburgh held off Vancouver. However, they catch a Ducks team coming off their best win of the season in what a few are calling the break out game for the one time Western contenders and that could spell trouble for the Panthers. And then the Ducks survived a wild overtime to secure two more points they need as they continue the process of trying to climb the Pacific Division steps. Florida coach Gerard Gallant angrily protested the key penalty call against Campbell.
“It was very frustrating, obviously”, Gallant said. I’m really playing for them too in a sense just because of how many things that they’ve done to get me here.
Derek MacKenzie dropped it for Quinton Howden, who overskated the puck, but Grimaldi was Rocco on the spot with a wrister off the skate of Fowler and past Andersen. Grimaldi, recalled from the minors on Halloween, had roughly 30 friends and family members in attendance to watch his first goal at Honda Center.
“I don’t think it’s tough for me to play in front of those people because I’ve played in front of them so many times”, Grimaldi said. “I wish I would have given them something better with a win instead”.
Gudbranson got his first goal of the season late in the second when Andersen whiffed on the defenseman’s long shot.
Grimaldi rewarded them with the game’s first goal five minutes into the second.
NOTES: Ducks F Rickard Rakell left with an upper-body injury in the second period.
Boudreau did not have an update.
Anaheim will try for a third consecutive victory at home, where it’s scored eight goals in the last two games after recording one in the first three.
Florida will be playing their first game since Halloween, with three full days of rest before beginning their quick three-game California jaunt that opens with the Ducks, sees a trip to San Jose on the second half of a back-to-back, and closes in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
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The Ducks were without high-scoring forward Ryan Getzlaf while the Panthers got their leading scorer back as Jaromir Jagr returned after a two-game absence due to a hip flexor and pain running down his side that acupuncture resolved.
