Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen (No 31) makes a save during the second period of the NHL game against Nashville Predators in Anaheim. (AFP)
By Eric Stephens/The Orange County Register
Chris Stewart and Andrew Cogliano each scored their first goals of the season and the often-punchless Anaheim Ducks tied their season high in getting a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night.
Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen finally picked up his first victory of the season as he delivered another strong effort with 40 saves. The difference is his teammates gave him some long-needed offensive support in stopping a five-game losing streak.
Rickard Rakell triggered a big first period with a nifty move down low that spun around Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis. Rakell then flipped a backhand shot by Nashville goalie Carter Hutton, who was giving regular starter Pekka Rinne a rare night off.
The Ducks (2-7-2) then turned a 1-0 lead into a 3-0 advantage in a matter of 12 seconds. Sami Vatanen got a pass from defense partner Clayton Stoner and ripped a slap shot by Hutton on the stick side. Cogliano then jumped on a turnover and snapped in a wrist shot.
The two goals before 16,276 at Honda Center were the fastest the Ducks had scored since getting a pair 11 seconds apart against Vancouver on Jan. 19, 2013, the opening night of the lockout-shortened season.
Nashville, which lost to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime Saturday, countered with a Shea Weber power-play goal in the second. But the Ducks restored a three-goal lead when Stewart converted a rebound off some good set-up work by Rakell and Korbinian Holzer.
It was a breakout night for Stewart as he assisted on the tallies by Rakell and Vatanen in the first. The winger, who was one of the Ducks’ summer additions, had no points in his first nine games and was a healthy scratch in another.
The Ducks also scored four times in their previous victory over Minnesota back on Oct. 18. Eleven of their NHL-low 14 goals have come in three games.
Ducks winger Jiri Sekac did not return in the third period after suffering a lower-body injury when he was hit by Nashville’s Gabriel Bourque. Sekac also had the other assist on Rakell’s early score.
Meanwhile All-star goaltender Carey Price will be out for at least a week with a “lower-body injury”, the Montreal Canadiens announced.
The 28-year-old Price was hurt during the Canadiens’ 4-3 National Hockey League loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. The Canadiens declined to give details about the injury.
Price, who was chosen fifth overall in the 2005 entry draft by Montreal, led Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Mike Condon, a 25-year-old rookie, started in place of Price on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. The Canadiens also called up goalie Dustin Tokarski from St. John’s of the American Hockey League while Price is sidelined.
