Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Anaheim Ducks rallied in the second and ended up scoring five unanswered goals to beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at Honda Center on Thursday night. Cutter Gauthier, Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome fueled the Ducks’ attack in the second period to complete the comeback, while Jackson LaCombe and Troy Terry added some insurance in the third. Strome and Terry finished with three-point nights (one goal and two assists each), and Isaac Lundestrom and Mason McTavish had multipoint games, too, with two assists apiece.
The Canucks got goals from Tyler Myers and Pius Suter in the first period, but that’s all the scoring they would do as they fell to 1-7-0 in the second half of back-to-backs. Once again, they failed to push further ahead in the wild card race and still remain one point ahead of the Calgary Flames, who lost 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier in the evening. The Utah Hockey Club, however, are now breathing down their neck as well, only two points back after their 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. The Ducks, meanwhile, are not out of it completely, pulling to within six after their win tonight.
Game Recap
The Ducks arguably had the better chances in the first period but were stymied by Canucks’ goaltender Arturs Silovs, who continued his strong play from his last start against the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday. Thanks to his work in the crease, the Canucks were able to walk into the first intermission with a two-goal lead after Tyler Myers opened the scoring with a blast from the right faceoff circle just over three minutes in and Pius Suter on a slick setup by Myers at 16:52. After looking like Myers would miss this game after leaving with an injury against the Los Angeles Kings, he ended the first with a goal and an assist.
The Ducks came alive in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. All three were clean shots on Silovs as Frank Vatrano and Cutter Gauthier sniped their 18th and 12th, respectively, over his glove, and Ryan Strome rounded it out with one blocker side for his ninth.
The Canucks couldn’t get anything going in the third as the Ducks added two more goals to increase their lead to 5-2. Jackson LaCombe scored his 10th at 15:46, and Troy Terry salted it away with an empty-netter a little over a minute later. Lukas Dostal ended the game with 22 saves on 24 shots, while Silovs, despite a strong first period, struggled the rest of the way and finished with 20 saves on 24 shots.
What’s Next for the Canucks & Ducks?
The Canucks will wrap up their five-game road trip in Seattle on Saturday, where they will face the Kraken for the penultimate game of their season series. The Ducks are also in action as they welcome the Chicago Blackhawks for the rubber match of their season series.
