John Gibson shuts out Kings in playoff debut, Ducks even series with Game 4 win

Anaheim Ducks rookie goaltender John Gibson appears to be pretty good at this whole "debuting" thing. 

Back on April 7th, Gibson made his NHL debut against the Vancouver Canucks and became just the 24th goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in their first NHL start. On Saturday night, Gibson made his Stanley Cup playoff debut and was flawless, stopping all 28 shots he faced in a 2-0 Ducks victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

In a game in which U.S. Olympian Jonathan Quick was pulled after 20 minutes - the 20-year-old Gibson was excellent. The Ducks played poorly in front of him, however, and managed just 3 shots in the latter 40 minutes of the hockey game. Anaheim essentially went into an extreme defensive shell, and allowed the Kings to dominate the territorial battle. Though Anaheim were beaten up on the shot clock, the Ducks successfully kept the Kings to the outside and blocked a mess of shots.

But the rookie goaltender was the story, as Gibson's stellar play allowed Devante Smith-Pelly and Ryan Getzlaf's first period goals to hold up. With the Game 4 victory the Ducks have leveled the second round Stanley Cup playoff series against Los Angeles. 

The series shifts back to Orange County with Game 5 going on Monday at 10 p.m. ET.

Star Performer

Ducks rookie goaltender John Gibson made 28 saves, displaying veteran poise and a calm demeanor throughout his perfect Stanley Cup playoff debut. Like any good Ducks goaltender, he looked entirely unflappable.

 Well except for that sequence early in the second period when he fought off a Marian Gaborik howitzer, lost sight of the puck in the air, and fell over backwards while praying that it didn't land in the net:

[Courtesy NHL.com]

As good as Gibson was, the players in front of him blocked an astounding 25 shots. Essentially Anaheim's netminder only stopped three shots more than their position players! 

The most significant of those blocks, by far, was this Ryan Getzlaf robbery of Drew Doughty:

[By @myregularface, courtesy NBCSN]

Turning Point

With the way the Ducks were playing defense, it was obvious where this game was headed after Ryan Getzlaf's first period power-play goal gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead:

[Courtesy NHL.com]

Highlight reel

Corey Perry must have eyes in the back of his head:

[Courtesy NHL.com]

Quote of the night

Gibson was pretty "aw shucks" about becoming the first goaltender in 86 years to record both a shutout in his regular season and playoff debut:

Gibson doesn't have to worry, he'll be starting Game 5.

Series at a glance

Game 1: Kings 3, Ducks 2 (OT) (Kings lead 1-0)
Game 2: Kings 2, Ducks 1 (Kings lead 2-0)
Game 3: Ducks 3, Kings 2 (Kings lead 2-1)
Game 4:  Ducks 2, Kings 0 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5*: Monday, May 12  - 10 p.m. ET
Game 6*: Wednesday, May 14 - TBD
Game 7*: Friday, May 16 - TBD