Gibson shines again in 1-0 victory

By Pete Zarustica

The margin between victory and defeat in major league professional sport can be razor-thin. That was pretty much the case Sunday night when the Anaheim Ducks defeated the rival Los Angeles Kings 1-0 at Honda Center.

John Gibson had 24 saves in goal for Anaheim, and Josh Manson scored the game’s only tally at 1:19 in the second period to give the home team the win. The Ducks are now 31-19-10, tied for second place in the NHL Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings fell to 28-26-4, good for fifth place.

“This time of the season, that’s the way it’s going to be,” said Gibson. “Going into the playoffs and towards the end of the year, games are going to be tight. There is not much room for error, so you have to be pretty good.”

Gibson has been pretty good. Since Christmas, he has led the league in goals-against average and save percentage.

Manson’s score was only his second goal of the season. He scored it on a centering pass from Ryan Getzlaf. “Anytime [Getzlaf] gets the puck and turns it up on that side of the ice, I know he sees you,” said Mannon. “He sees everything. I just tried to find a hole.”

The Ducks are next in action Monday hosting the Arizona Coyotes (20-30-7), the last-place team in the NHL Pacific. They will begin a road trip on Wednesday in Boston.