The Ducks began to play more aggressively after taki

FRANKFURT, Germany -- One quarter into the Bundesliga season, the Champions League slots have a very surprising look.Bayern Munich tops the standings, of course, but the next three slots are taken by a newcomer, a team that barely escaped relegation last season and the unfancied Cologne.Bayern is only two points clear of RB Leipzig, which is making its debut in the Bundesliga and is still undefeated after nine matches, the best starting record for a promoted team.Next is Hoffenheim, which is also still undefeated, after finishing last season one point above the danger zone.Cologne completes the top four, five points behind Bayern.Leipzig and Hoffenheim have similar histories. Hoffenheim was a village team until a local son and software billionaire started pumping money to steer its march through the lower tiers into the Bundesliga. Hoffenheim took the Bundesliga by storm and was leading the table halfway into its rookie season in 2008.Hoffenheim struggled in recent years and appeared headed for relegation last season, until the management took a bold decision and turned to coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was still 28 but guided Hoffenheim to safety.Nagelsmann will have his biggest test on Saturday, when Hoffenheim travels to Munich to play Bayern in what has turned out to be the match of the week.Weve earned it, said Nagelsmann, whose team is riding a five-match winning streak. If we have a good day and Bayern is below its best, then we can get something in Munich.RB Leipzig started out as a rebranded fourth-tier local side bankrolled by an Austrian energy drink maker. It quickly rose through the ranks by signing talented players lured by promises of rapid Bundesliga glory.Leipzig and Hoffenheim are also bound by more than similar histories. Ralf Rangnick, who was coach of Hoffenheim in its early Bundesliga days, is now Leipzigs sporting director. Leipzig plays the high-pressing, quick-transition game that was a hallmark of Hoffenheim in early days that is coming back under Nagelsmann.Leipzig, like Hoffenheim, faces a hostile reception at most away matches because of fans who prefer traditional clubs with long histories over new-money parvenus.When Leipzig played in Darmstadt last weekend, the home side played in retro-looking kits and used a manually operated scoreboard to emphasize its long tradition. It didnt help, as Leipzig won 2-0.Unlike Leipzig and Hoffenheim, Cologne is very long in tradition but also very short in success -- at least in recent decades.Cologne was one of the founding clubs of the Bundesliga in 1963 and its first champion. It won the title again in 1978. It has been without a title since the German Cup in 1983.The club was relegated for the first time in 1998 and kept moving back and forth between the two divisions.Finally, it stabilized under coach Peter Stoeger, who returned the team to the Bundesliga in 2014. It finished 12th and then climbed to ninth at the end of the last season.Now, Cologne is looking at a place in Europe and the main reason for it is Anthony Modeste, the Bundesligas hottest striker.Modeste, a 28-year-old Frenchman, scored a hat trick last weekend against Hamburg -- and missed a penalty -- to bring his total to a league-high 11 goals after nine matches. He also scored the goal that knocked out Hoffenheim, his former club, from the German Cup.Cologne visits Eintracht Frankfurt, another surprise team, on Saturday, while Leipzig hosts Mainz on Sunday. Aaron Civale Jersey . 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The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For much of the first period, the Anaheim Ducks looked overmatched against the top team in the NHL.The Montreal Canadiens were controlling the puck and outshooting Anaheim 15-3 at one point. What they were not getting, however, were any goals.Buoyed by the play of John Gibson in net, the Ducks recovered behind goals from Rickard Rakell and defenseman Cam Fowler to beat the Canadiens 2-1 on Tuesday night.We have to eliminate these starts that are pretty much pedestrian, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. It was kind of like they had the puck and wouldnt give it to us.But our goalie kept us in there and we got a 1-0 lead and then we were much better the rest of the game.The 23-year-old Gibson, in his first full NHL season, equaled a career high with 39 saves and outplayed counterpart Carey Price, the 2015 league MVP.Price made several excellent stops, but Gibson turned away Montreals first 38 shots. Andrew Shaw scored with 2 minutes left and Price finished with 36 saves for the Canadiens (16-5-2).It was a good test, Gibson said. Theyre the best team in the league and everyone wants to see how they stack up against the best. We played well.Anaheim (11-8-4) had lost three consecutive games before winning Friday at San Jose, the defending Western Conference champion.Price was among the league leaders in goals allowed per game (1.66) and led with 13 wins.Price came up big for us and kept us in the game, Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry said. We were using our speed at first and then got away from that. Its something we have to learn from, because if we use our speed were a tough team to handle.With Gibson stopping 17 shots, the Ducks were able to overcome their slow start when they scored on a power play with just more than 3 minutes to play in the opening period.Rakell tried a wraparound from behind the net, but Price deflected the puck to Anaheims Ryan Kesler.dddddddddddd He attempted to slap it in, but it caromed off Price and right back to Rakell, who snapped it in.It was the ninth goal in 14 games for Rakell, a late signee.The Ducks began to play more aggressively after taking the lead. They went up 2-0 in the second period when Fowler beat Price to the short side.It was a weird angle, Fowler said. My body was facing the boards, so its not an ideal angle to get everything you want on the shot. But Im not complaining.The Ducks held their 2-0 lead until the final minutes, when the Canadiens pulled Price for an extra skater and Shaw ruined the shutout bid.Both goalies played really well, Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. I liked the way we got out of the gate. I thought we were ready to play. They put pressure on us and we didnt react the right way.SHAW SNAPSAfter the Canadiens pulled within a goal, Shaw was sent off for hooking with 28 seconds left and flipped out in the penalty box. He directed a profane tirade toward at least one official, slammed his stick on the glass and snapped it over his knee. Shaw was given a 10-minute misconduct and ejected.Game notes The Ducks went 8-4-2 in November and are 9-0 this season when leading after two periods. ... The Canadiens are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games against the Ducks and 11-14-4 in the all-time series. ... Rakells nine goals in November tie him for third in the NHL. . Gibson matched his career high with 39 saves.UP NEXTCanadiens: Continue a three-game California swing Friday in San Jose.Ducks: Begin a three-game road trip Thursday in Vancouver.---This story has been corrected with the proper spelling of Rakells first name. ' ' '