Anaheim Ducks Three Stars of the Week (March 12-18)
It was a good week for the Ducks. After dropping a 4-2 decision to St. Louis on Monday, they won the next three by defeating Vancouver, Detroit, and New Jersey. There were plenty of heroes, but this is the three stars of the week.
Honorable Mention – Derek Grant
Grant has been the glue of the fourth line since the trade deadline when the Ducks obtained Jason Chimera and Chris Kelley. This week he scored two goals in just over 34 minutes of ice time. Additionally, Grant was an integral part of the penalty kill Friday night that held Detroit scoreless in five attempts.
Third Star – Nick Ritchie
Ritchie doesn’t make the three stars list due to his offensive output. He makes it because he became the spark plug the Ducks have been missing. He had an assist Wednesday on Brandon Montour‘s second goal, but his performance Friday was what stood out. His goal at 6:14 of the first period from Adam Henrique and Ondrej Kase highlight the great chemistry this line is developing. It was Ritchie’s overall aggressive play and first-period fight with Luke Witkowski that jump-started the Ducks.
Second Star – Brandon Montour
This week was the kind of offensive breakout that Ducks fans have been waiting for from Montour. Monday, he made a nifty pass to Ryan Getzlaf and from there the captain and Corey Perry worked their magic to score Anaheim’s first goal. He showed smarts in that game, but he was downright lethal against Vancouver two nights later. Montour broke a 50 game scoring drought in the first period and then followed it up with a power-play goal in the third. Not quite done, he scored another power-play goal Sunday. If you watch the replays, all three of his scores came when he pinched down from the right side. The rookie defenseman is picking a good time to get hot.
First Star – John Gibson
Gibson started all four Ducks games last week, winning three. In total, he allowed eight goals, while saving 94 others. That equates to a 3-1-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and .922 Sv%. His crowning jewel came in a 3-0 shutout over Vancouver on Wednesday. It was the kind of bounce-back performance he and his team needed after a three-game losing streak. Gibson followed the shutout by allowing only two goals in each of the next two games.
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