The Anaheim Ducks finally began the 2023-24 season this past weekend with a tough back-to-back set of games against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 14 and the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 15. The defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights proved to be too much in a 4-1 loss for the Ducks, but Anaheim bounced back with an impressive 6-3 victory over the Hurricanes. The win in the home opener was part of a big night of firsts that featured plenty of milestones. Elsewhere, Max Comtois was able to find a landing spot, and Leo Carlsson is progressing towards his NHL debut.
Ducks Continue Dominance in Home Openers
Anaheim has won eight consecutive home openers, tying the team with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs for the longest active streaks. The Ducks have picked up a point in each of the team’s past 11 Honda Center debuts since 2013, posting a mark of 10-0-1 during that span. Anaheim has an all-time record of 20-9-1 record in home openers for a .683 points percentage. That ranks fifth in the league behind only Vegas (.857), the Minnesota Wild (.782), the Colorado Avalanche (.744) and the Florida Panthers (.690).
The victory was powered by a hat trick from Frank Vatrano, who became the first Anaheim player to pot three goals in a home opener. It was the fourth three-goal performance of his career, and his second as a member of the Ducks. Vatrano netted 22 goals in 2022-23 en route to finishing with a career-high 41 points in 81 games.
Ducks’ Milestones Aplenty in Win over Hurricanes
Pavel Mintyukov (19 years, 324 days) became the fifth-youngest Anaheim defenseman to score their first career goal after finding the back of the net late in the first period to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead. The four rearguards who accomplished the feat at a younger age are Oleg Tverdovsky (18 years, 259 days), Cam Fowler (18 years, 316 days), Jamie Drysdale (18 years, 344 days) and Hampus Lindholm (19 years, 290 days). Mintyukov has averaged 18:05 of ice through two games while amassing four shots on goal, five blocked shots, and three hits.
Jackson LaCombe had the primary helper on Mintyukov’s first NHL tally for his first career point. The combination of firsts marked just the fifth time in NHL history that two defensemen earned their first career goal and assist on the same score. The last duo to earn the feat was Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren of the New York Rangers during the 2019-20 campaign. The 22-year-old LaCombe was unable to reach the scoresheet in two appearances with the Ducks last season.
Lukas Dostal got the start in goal for the Ducks after John Gibson played the first half of the back-to-back situation. It was the first home opener of Dostal’s NHL career, and he turned in a superb performance with 31 saves on 34 shots. The 23-year-old netminder landed the backup goalie job over Alex Stalock, who was demoted to the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL), out of training camp.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Ducks’ Home Opening Win Over Hurricanes
Ryan Strome, who has three assists through two games this campaign, surpassed 400 career points in the contest. The 30-year-old forward supplied 15 goals and 41 points in 82 games with the Ducks in 2022-23. The trio of Strome, Vatrano and Mason McTavish has looked good for the club in the early going.
It was also the first NHL win for Greg Cronin as a head coach. The 60-year-old has been an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and the Maple Leafs. Cronin was the bench boss of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles for the previous five seasons.
Carlsson Getting Close to NHL Debut
Carlsson hopes to be cleared to make his NHL debut Thursday against the Dallas Stars. The 18-year-old said he wasn’t able to move his right leg up and down after slamming his hip into the end boards at practice on Oct. 6. Carlsson is currently on season-opening injured reserve, so he is eligible to be added to the active roster whenever he is ready to return.
Once he is available to play, Carlsson is expected to center the top line between Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, as well as occupy a spot on the top power-play unit. Zegras and Terry are off to slow starts this season, so it will be very interesting to see what kind of an impact Carlsson makes. He has been praised often for his ability to make everyone around him better.
Comtois Agrees to AHL Contract
Comtois, who was cut loose by the Ducks in June of 2023 when he didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the team, signed an AHL deal with the unaffiliated Chicago Wolves on Oct. 16. Comtois attended training camp with Vegas on a professional tryout agreement, but he was released just before the start of the 2023-24 season.
Comtois has compiled 38 goals and 86 points in 210 career NHL appearances, which all came as a member of the Ducks. He also notched 10 goals and 25 points in 35 minor-league outings with the Gulls during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns. Comtois will have to wait for his next opportunity to be part of an NHL organization.