ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brett Pesce scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Carolina Hurricanes ended their three-game skid and the Ducks’ five-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory over Anaheim on Friday night.
Justin Williams also scored in the third period and Petr Mrazek made 18 saves in his first victory since Oct. 26 as the Canes won in Anaheim for just the second time in nine years.
Clark Bishop scored his first NHL goal and Sebastian Aho added an empty-netter as Carolina salvaged one win from its three-game California trip despite the injury absences of top goal-scorer Micheal Ferland, veteran forward Jordan Staal and starting goalie Curtis McElhinney.
Jakob Silfverberg scored his 100th career goal for the Ducks, who had won seven of eight and earned points in nine of 10 before an uncharacteristic third-period flop.
Anaheim didn’t allow a goal after the second period during its winning streak. Carolina scored twice in 61 seconds in the third, starting when Pesce connected perfectly with an aggressive swing at a floating puck from Teuvo Teravainen for the defenceman’s third goal.
John Gibson stopped 32 shots for Anaheim, but took just his second regulation loss in nine appearances after mishandling a high shot that turned into Williams’ fifth goal.
Mrazek made just his second appearance since Nov. 2 for the Hurricanes after McElhinney was scratched with a lower-body injury that apparently occurred during practice Thursday.
Saku Maenalanen made his NHL debut for Carolina after Staal was sidelined for the first time this season due to a concussion.
Silfverberg put the Ducks ahead in the first period with a short-handed goal when Jake Dotchin’s shot deflected off his body. Silfverberg started the sequence that led to his milestone goal in his 445th game with a breakaway shot off the iron.
Bishop, a 22-year-old former fifth-round pick, got credit for a messy goal in the second period when he slid into Gibson while the puck trickled underneath the goalie. The rookie forward couldn’t celebrate his first goal until a lengthy video review concluded the puck had crossed the line — and a second video review denied Anaheim’s claim of goalie interference.
NOTES: Bishop scored in his 11th career game. … Ducks F Rickard Rakell missed his first game of the season with an ankle injury. The Swede is off to a slow start with just five goals after scoring 34 last year. … Maenalanen, a 24-year-old Finn, is a former Nashville draft pick who began his first North American season in the AHL this fall. … Staal is out indefinitely after getting hurt in the third period of Carolina’s loss at San Jose on Wednesday. … Ferland missed his fourth straight game with a concussion. … McElhinney will be re-evaluated when the Canes return to Raleigh. The former Ducks backup is 7-3-1.
UP NEXT
Hurricanes: Host Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Ducks: Host Devils on Sunday night.
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Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
