Defending champions, the Florida Panthers, visited the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. The Ducks had recently taken a trip to Florida, where they defeated the Panthers in a shootout. Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Lukas Dostal have both been solid for their respective teams so far this season and would certainly make it tough for their opposition.
Bobrovsky entered the match with a .899 save percentage (SV%) and Dostal a .916 SV%. The Panthers were looking to kick off their West Coast road trip with a win, and the Ducks were trying to extend their three-game win streak.
First Period
The home team scored first at Honda Center when Cutter Gauthier made a speedy breakaway and snuck the puck five-hole past Bobrovsky. He was assisted by Leo Carlsson, who has had points in seven games and counting. The Ducks also took the first penalty of the game — tripping against Chris Kreider. The Panthers’ power play lasted just under a minute as Brad Marchand took a minor penalty for playing with a broken stick. Neither four-on-four hockey nor Anaheim’s brief power play yielded goals.
The penalized, however, quickly redeemed himself with a bar-down goal just after the power play ended. Marchand has scored in back-to-back games, and Jeff Petry assisted on this marker. The Panthers took another penalty when Eetu Luostarinen high-sticked Troy Terry, and the Ducks were back on a power play. They did not convert.
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They were quickly back on another power play, though, when Carter Verhaeghe slashed Ryan Poehling. The Ducks were able to convert on the man-advantage this time, with Gauthier once again firing a powerful slapshot past the Panthers’ goaltender. Troy Terry and Kreider assisted on the forward’s second goal of the game.
Anaheim was dominant in the faceoff dot during the period, winning 63.6% of puck battles. Florida had a slight advantage in blocked shots, 5-2. While the teams’ shots on goal stood at an even nine each, thanks to Gauthier, the Ducks had the 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
Second Period
The Panthers started hot in the second period, having just two shots on goal before Evan Rodrigues tied the score, assisted by Mackie Samoskevich and Gustav Forsling. After much of the period had passed with little action, Alex Killorn was charged with tripping and sent the Panthers to a power play. The man-up was successful, as Luostarinen took a pass from Rodrigues and got it past Dostal. Sam Bennett also registered a point on the goal, and the Panthers had a 3-2 lead.
A minor scrum broke out between Olen Zellweger and Anton Lundell after the two collided with each other. The referees quickly broke it up, and Lundell was charged with a slashing penalty. The Ducks were successful on the power play, with Jackson Lacombe firing the puck to Gauthier, who netted it and notched his first career hat trick. Carlsson also assisted on the goal.
Less than two minutes later, another Duck got a first when Nikita Nesterenko scored his first goal of the season from Poehling and Alex Killorn, giving the lead back to Anaheim. In quick succession, Ian Moore received a penalty for delay of game, and the Panthers were on another power play. They were unsuccessful, and the Ducks had a 4-3 lead heading into the locker room.
Third Period
Things started feisty in the third period, with multiple Ducks coming to the defense of Zellweger, who Lundell cross-checked. After some scrappiness, Mason McTavish and Luostarinen both received roughing minors. Unfortunately for Anaheim, its power play lasted just eight seconds due to Carlsson’s high-sticking of Rodrigues.
The Panthers’ center went down the tunnel to be assessed while the play was reviewed to determine the exact penalty. Carlsson was assessed a game misconduct, ejecting him from play, as well as a five-minute major, which Jansen Harkins served. The Panthers’ power play became four-on-four hockey for 1:38 when Marchand took a hooking penalty.
The penalty train just kept rolling, with McTavish taking a high-sticking minor against Forsling — the 13th penalty of the game with over 13 minutes to go. The Ducks were able to kill the penalty, though, despite the Panthers having good zone time.
A goal from Jacob Trouba gave the Ducks a two-goal lead — Gauthier registered yet another point with the helper. 1:38 later, Kreider deflected the puck past Bobrovsky, putting his Ducks up 6-3 in the waning minutes of the third period. Just over a minute later, the home team scored yet again, with Harkins finding the back of the net unassisted — three goals in just over three minutes.
Nikko Mikkola took an interference penalty late in the game, and the Ducks would play all but the final 18 seconds with a man advantage and held their 7-3 lead. They will play five of their next six games as the away team, beginning with the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The Panthers move north to Los Angeles to face the Kings on Thursday as well.
