National Hockey League
Anaheim 4, Pittsburgh 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 17, 2018
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Jean Hebert, Ian Walsh
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Brian Mach
Attendance: 18575

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.

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

Top Game Performances
 
Anaheim   Pittsburgh
Ryan Getzlaf 2 Points Evgeni Malkin 1
Ryan Getzlaf 1 Goals Evgeni Malkin 1
Ryan Getzlaf 1 Assists Sidney Crosby 1
Adam Henrique 1 Power Play Goals Evgeni Malkin 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
John Gibson .933 Save Percentage Casey DeSmith .914
John Gibson 28 Saves Casey DeSmith 32
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Anaheim 36 4 1-2 3-4 8 30
Pittsburgh 30 2 1-4 1-2 4 21
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Penguins have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Anaheim will play their next game on the road against NY Rangers. The Ducks have a W/L % of .632 after a win and .438 after a loss.