ANAHEIM — Barring a dramatic improvement that makes him become available to the Ducks, John Gibson will make another visit to injured reserve.

Signs are pointing toward the talented, often-injured Gibson missing this weekend’s games against Arizona and Edmonton as a lower-body injury continues to keep him out of any on-ice activities.

Gibson did not practice Friday at Anaheim Ice as Ryan Miller and Reto Berra were in the nets for the Ducks. Gibson has not skated since getting hurt late in the second period Monday against Vegas.

“If things stay the way they are, Gibby will probably go on IR and won’t be available for the two games this weekend,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said, repeating “if they stay the way they are right now.”

The Ducks do go into Saturday’s game at Arizona with a razor-sharp Miller. After stopping all 20 of the shots he faced Monday to close out a 2-0 win over Vegas, the 37-year-old on Wednesday pitched a 41-save shutout of Dallas in another 2-0 victory. It was his third shutout of the season and 42nd of his career.

Injuries have forced Gibson to leave five games this season, with Miller coming on in relief for four of them. Miller is 8-4-5 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Gibson returned from injured reserve Feb. 9 and allowed only 10 goals over six starts before being sidelined.

Following this weekend, the Ducks do not play again until next Friday against Columbus. It would give Gibson six more days to recover, with the hope he improves enough to practice next week and build himself back up for potential game action.

They’re managing to get by without him quite nicely. Miller’s strong goaltending and the Ducks’ stout defensive work have resulted in consecutive shutouts for the first time since Dec. 29-31 at Calgary and Edmonton.

Cam Fowler and Brandon Montour have been part of that. Carlyle recently put the two defensemen together, seemingly with the goal of seeing if Montour might be ready to be leaned on for 20 minutes or more of high quality work to round out a top four with Montour, Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson.

Putting the two together is a sign of Carlyle’s increased confidence in Montour’s defensive work. His ice time has reflected it. Over their current four-game winning streak, the 23-year-old has averaged nearly 23 minutes per game.

“I’m obviously up for that,” Montour said. “That’s what I believe in myself and I know I can do that. It’s just one of those things where we’re trying to balance out our (defense) corps right now. Trying to figure out what strengths we can use with all six, not just four. Right now, we’re jelling.

“It’s just giving me that extra boost of confidence to play how I normally do and play to my strength. It’s been helping a lot.”

Usually an offensive-minded defenseman is paired with a more stay-at-home type to hold back and protect against any sudden changes in possession. In this case, Carlyle is entrusting the two high-level skaters to push the pace while also watching out for each other.

“Really, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to test whether they can play the up-tempo, complete game as far as puck recovery, puck movement, defend, add to our offense,” Carlyle said. “Those boxes are the things you try to check off. Because that’s where the game’s trending.

“And you see that’s the way most teams are trying to build their back ends. Highly mobile puck movers. But they still have to have the ability to defend.”

Carlyle has stressed to Montour that “it’s not all about go, go, go” but credits him for making the adjustment for doing more of what’s best for the team. Fowler is a big fan of Montour’s skill and the two realize they’ve got to be defensively responsible first before going into attack mode.

“I’ve enjoyed playing with Monty,” Fowler said. “He’s a phenomenal skater. I feel like when we’re out there, we try and set the pace as a (defense) pair. The only thing is we need to be careful about us both joining the rush at the same time.

“If I see Monty’s got the lane and he’s going, I’ll obviously cover him and vice versa. And we seem to be working well off each other. It seems to be a good fit so far.”

Montour is jumping at the chance at playing regularly with Fowler, a eight-year veteran the Ducks rely on in all situations.

“He’s obviously a special player and everybody sees that,” Montour said. “Having the opportunity as a younger guy to play with him, it’s a boost of confidence knowing that the coaches trust you and want you out there in key situations.

“Playing with him is pretty easy. You give him the puck and let him do his thing. For me, it’s one of those things that I feel like I have similar strengths. We’ve played well together so far.”