EDMONTON, Alberta – It’s a good thing the Anaheim Ducks have discovered their scorching hot scoring touch, because they still need a bit of a defensive cushion.
However, they’ve got three wins in a row to show for it, and that’s all that matters to these high-flying Ducks scrapping their way through.
Cutter Gauthier and the Anaheim power play struck again, including one of Beckett Sennecke’s two goals on the night, and Pavel Mintyukov’s first two goals of the season gave the Ducks enough room to hold off a Connor McDavid-led charge by the Edmonton Oilers, 5-4, on Thursday at Rogers Place.
Anaheim (8-7-1, 17 points) has scored 34 goals in the last six games and 12 power play goals in the last four games. Ducks are just the second team since 1993-94 to score five goals in six consecutive games, joining the 2021-22 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gauthier zipped a power play goal in the first period for his ninth goal in four games and league-leading ninth power play goal. The score marked his fourth consecutive game with a power play goal, matching Teemu Selanne for the second-longest streak in team history–Selanne did it twice in 1998-99 and 2008-09.
Pavel Mintyukov scored his first two goals of the season in the second period to tie the game off an Oilers stick and go-ahead on a rebound, 3-2. Mintyukov completed the Gordie Howe Hat Trick following his first-period fight and second-period goal with an assist on Beckett Sennecke’s first strike to put the Ducks up by two goals into the third period.
Sennecke finished off a beauty of a power play passing sequence for a three-goal lead, 5-2, early in the third period.
Evan Bouchard answered the Ducks’ opening power play strike with his own power play goal around traffic late in the first period, and Connor McDavid got credit for putting Edmonton ahead on a shorthanded goal, as Tristan Luneau hit the puck into his own net chasing back on the rush, 2-1.
With the goalie pulled for the extra attacker late in the third period, McDavid assisted a Kasperi Kapanen power play goal with 3:36 to play and Leon Draisaitl tally with 45 seconds to play to cut the lead to one goal, 5-4. McDavid, the league’s scoring leader with an astonishing 44 points in 17 games, registered his fifth four-point game of the season.
Laurent Brossoit held on late stopping 23 of 27 shots in his third straight start as a Duck since being called up from AHL San Diego. Matt Tomkins made 16 saves for the Oilers.
Anaheim concludes its three-game Western Canada road trip with the second half of a back-to-back in Calgary tomorrow before returning home to host Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Anaheim will debut its Disney movie-inspired Hometown Remix jersey on Sunday against the Penguins.
Game Notes:
Jackson LaCombe, who played a whopping career high of 33:09 time-on-ice, picked up an assist for the eighth straight game tying the franchise record set by Scott Neidermayer in 2006-07. LaCombe has points in 14 of 16 games this season and 12 assists in this eight-game streak.
Both teams combined for 41 penalty minutes in the first period, including a big dust-up between Connor McDavid, Drew Helleson and Vasily Podkolzin. McDavid got behind the defense and in close on Laurent Brossoit, and Helleson finished his check on McDavid into the net, where McDavid’s knee hit the post.
McDavid was slow to get up, and when he did, he had words for Helleson. Podkolzin then jumped Helleson and dropped his gloves to whale away on the Ducks defenseman. Podkolzin was given a rare solo fighting major, which put the Ducks on a major power play where Cutter Gauthier scored. Podkolzin earned an instigator minor and game misconduct, and Helleson was given an unsportsmanlike conduct minor.