Ducks goalies combine to shut out Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS -- Ryan Miller and John Gibson combined for 33 saves for the Anaheim Ducks in a 2-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

Miller entered the game at the beginning of the third period and made 20 saves after Gibson sustained a lower-body injury late in the second.
Jakob Silfverberg and Josh Manson scored for the Ducks, who won their third straight game and are 5-1-1 in their past seven.
WATCH: [All Ducks vs. Golden Knights highlights]
"There's been some good hockey in our end and we want to keep it going," Miller said. "There have been some close games all the way through that we didn't find ways to win. This one was the same, and we found a way to come through."
Anaheim (30-20-11, 71 points) leads the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings by two points for third place in the Pacific Division.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 18 saves for the Golden Knights, who lost for the first time in three games and were shut out at home for the second time this season (Nov. 28, Dallas Stars).
Vegas (39-16-4) has 82 points, one more than the Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL lead, three ahead of the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators for first place in the Western Conference, and 10 more than the San Jose Sharks, who are second in the Pacific Division.
"[The Ducks] worked hard, had a gritty game," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. "The game plan they wanted to play was low shot totals, slow it down, goalies freezing pucks. I didn't think we played with the same passion in the first half of the game."

Vegas forward James Neal did not play because of an illness. It was the first game he's missed this season. Forwards Tomas Hyka and Stefan Matteau were recalled from Chicago of the American Hockey League to replace Neal and injured forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (upper body) in the lineup.
"Of course you're going to miss a player like James Neal," Gallant said. "All teams deal with injuries. I just think we didn't have any puck luck."
Silfverberg scored at 13:32 of the first period to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead, deflecting Andrew Cogliano's shot past Fleury.
"We've battled some injuries throughout the year, but for the second half of the season, we've had our full team," Silfverberg said. "We've been picking up some steam here these last couple of games. Tonight, we played one of the best teams in the League and I think we played them real solid defensively and we didn't give them enough chances."
Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf appeared to score at 16:49 of the second period, but Vegas coach Gerard Gallant challenged, and the goal was overturned when video review showed Ducks forward Rickard Rakell was offside at 16:42.
Manson scored at 4-on-4 at 7:01 of the third period to make it 2-0.
"That was a better game for us," Manson said. "I think it's one of the better games we played in a while. It's something we've got to bring every game."
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle did not have an update on Gibson (13 saves), who was injured when Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith's right skate hit his left skate behind the net with eight seconds left in the second.

Goal of the game

Silfverberg's goal at 13:32 of the first period.

Save of the game

Miller stopping Nate Schmidt at 4:40 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Manson's goal at 7:01 of the third period.

They said it

"You don't try to stare at [the standings] too much, but I think everyone knows where we're at. I think our team performs better under pressure. I feel like we've seen that these last few games. Hopefully, we can keep rolling on this kind of wave." -- Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg
"We outshot them, we were getting people to the net, and sometimes we just need a little bit more, and be a little hungrier around the net. I thought their goalies played really well too." -- Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch

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Need to know

It was the second combined shutout in Ducks history but first when each goalie made at least one save. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 18 saves but James Shields did not face a shot in 32 seconds in a 4-0 win at the Flames on Dec. 8, 2001. ... The Ducks did not have a power-play opportunity. The Golden Knights were 0-for-2. ... With a win, Vegas would have passed the 1993-94 Florida Panthers for most points (83) and the 1979-80 Hartford Whalers for most home wins (22) by an NHL team in its inaugural season. ... Hyka, a sixth-round pick (No. 171) by the Kings in the 2012 NHL Draft, had two shots on goal in 11:37 in his NHL debut.

What's next

Ducks:Host the Dallas Stars on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; PRIME, FS-SW, NHL.TV)
Golden Knights: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, SNF, NHL.TV)