Gibson notches his eighth career shutout in Ducks’ 2-0 win over Red Wings

There was some question before this season whether John Gibson was ready to make the jump to being a full-time NHL goalie.

Let’s just say his padded legs have covered some varied terrain the past two games. In his first game since he tied a franchise regular-season record with 51 saves, Gibson turned away 23 shots to backstop a 2-0 win Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings at Honda Center.

Gibson wasn’t as severely tested as he was in Sunday’s 55-shot barrage by the Philadelphia Flyers. But he asserted his rock-solid presence as the Ducks struggled to put away a Detroit team that went down to four defensemen in the third period because of injuries to Brendan Smith and Niklas Kronwall.

Ondrej Kase delivered a pretty backhand insurance goal with 2 minutes 54 seconds to go, on top of linemate Nick Ritchie’s first-period goal, on a night where Anaheim’s young players led the way without injured captain Ryan Getzlaf.

Gibson outdueled Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek, who kept Anaheim at bay.

“I think it was everybody,” Gibson said. “We all hold ourselves accountable to have a bounce-back game. I just wanted to keep doing what I was doing. The guys did a really good job of slowing them down in the neutral zone. ... I think we executed our game plan really well.”

It was news that the Ducks didn’t allow the opposition to turn the game into a shooting gallery. Anaheim held Detroit to six shots in the opening period and 14 through two periods.

Another good sign for the Ducks was that they successfully challenged Smith’s goal on goalie interference 1:23 into the second period. The Ducks were caught in a line change and it was determined that Smith ran into Gibson at the end of a three-on-two rush.

Ritchie gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead in a much tighter opening period for Anaheim than the one in its last outing. The 21-year-old converted Antoine Vermette’s rebound after Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson turned the puck over to Kase.

Ritchie’s line seemed to click.

“We got on the forecheck, created turnovers and when we have played good this year, that’s what we do,” Ritchie said. “We skate hard and get on top of people, and tonight it worked out.”

Ritchie, 21, wasn’t the only young Ducks player who has served notice lately. Defenseman Brandon Montour reentered the lineup and again saw time on the power play and showed offensive instincts. He’s played only three NHL games, but Montour, 22, has not looked out of place.

“He has not disappointed us, that’s for sure,” Carlyle said.

Carlyle ruled out Getzlaf before the game but said he’s getting better from a lower-body injury.

“I would think that it’s not something that’s going to keep him out an extended period of time, but that’s me talking today, and we’ll let the player make the decision when everybody says he’s good to go,” Carlyle said.

Gibson got his second shutout this season and the eighth of his career. He has not lost a start in regulation since Dec.19.

“Obviously, that Philly game was pretty awesome with the amount of work he had,” Ritchie said. “Tonight, not as much work as Philly, but he made some big saves that kept us in the lead there throughout the game. He’s been great for us.”

The Ducks killed three Red Wings power plays, including two in the third period to keep an impressive streak going. Detroit has not scored a power-play goal on the road since Oct.19 and is one-for-39 in the last 10 games.

Tokarski extension

The Ducks are expected to sign goalie Dustin Tokarski to a one-year contract extension. It was first reported by TVA Sports. Tokarski is third on Anaheim’s goalie depth chart.