Grant, Gibson help Ducks send Canadiens to seventh loss in row

ANAHEIM -- John Gibson set an Anaheim Ducks record with 28 of his 49 saves in the second period of a 6-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Honda Center on Friday.
The record for saves in a period was 24, set by Jonas Hiller in the third at the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 8, 2010, and matched by Frederik Andersen in the third against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on March 2, 2014.

WATCH: [All Canadiens vs. Ducks highlights]
Montreal (1-6-1) set a Canadiens record with 30 shots on goal in the second period, but lost its seventh consecutive game to tie its worst eight-game start since 1941. The record for shots in a period was 27, most recently matched in the first against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 12, 2015.

Ducks forward Derek Grant scored his first two NHL goals in his 93rd game, and Dennis Rasmussen, Antoine Vermette, Brandon Montour and Chris Wagner scored for Anaheim (3-3-1).
"They weren't the prettiest goals, but I'll take them," Grant said.
Rasmussen gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 1:46 of the first period. Grant made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 3:46. He reached around Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry and slapped the bouncing puck by Montreal goalie Carey Price.
Anaheim made it 3-0 at 13:42 when Wagner passed the puck from the corner to Vermette, whose one-timer from inside the left circle beat Price through his pads on Anaheim's 12th shot on goal.
"That was the best start we've had this year," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We're going to have to start more games like that. I'm not suspecting we're scoring three goals in the first period every time, but we have to show that energy, that spark and that grittiness to go out and compete."

Montreal dominated the second period. Paul Byron (2:47) and Brendan Gallagher (17:24 on the power play) scored to bring the Canadiens within 3-2, and they outshot the Ducks 30-10 with the help of four power plays.
"I think we knew they were going to come out like that (in the second period)," Gibson said. "We just tried to weather the storm as best as we could."
The Ducks regained control after Montour (5:58), Grant (7:12) and Wagner (7:35) scored 97 seconds apart in the third period for a 6-2 lead.
"I don't have an explanation," Montreal coach Claude Julien said. "All I know is it's unacceptable, and the second period was a team we should be from start to finish."
The Ducks lost defenseman Cam Fowler to a lower-body injury in the first period. He was helped off the ice and did not return. Carlyle said Fowler will have a further assessment Saturday.
Montreal forward Ales Hemsky also left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return.

Goal of the game

Ducks forward Corey Perry skated down the right side and, with one hand on his stick, centered a pass onto the stick of Wagner, who scored from the slot.

Save of the game

The Canadiens were on their second power play of the second period when Montreal defenseman Shea Weber took a hard slap shot from the left circle, but Gibson made the glove save at 4:13 to keep Anaheim's lead at 3-1.

Highlight of the game

Montour drew a penalty, but before the Ducks went on the power play, defenseman Kevin Bieksa took a slap shot that snapped his stick. The puck drifted to Montour in the left circle and his one-timer went in on the short side for a 4-2 lead.

They said it

"It's frustrating, no doubt. I don't know a human on Earth that wouldn't be frustrated at this point." -- Canadiens goalie Carey Price
"We got the start we wanted, which hasn't been our strong point." -- Ducks forward Derek Grant

Need to know

Montreal forward Max Pacioretty matched his NHL high with 10 shots on goal, but last season's leading goal-scorer (35) and point producer (67) for the Canadiens went his seventh straight game without a point. … Perry's assist on Wagner's goal was the 370th of his NHL career, moving him past Paul Kariya for third on the Ducks' all-time list. … Ducks defenseman Jaycob Megna assisted on Rasmussen's goal for his first NHL point. … Wagner and Montour each had an assist for the first multipoint games of their NHL career.

What's next

Canadiens: Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, FS-F, NHL.TV)
Ducks: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, PRIME, NHL.TV)