Ducks Earn A Point Against The Stars

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks continued their road trip in Dallas against the Stars. Lukas Dostal was in net against Jake Oettinger.

Recap:

The Ducks went on a power play in the opening minutes of the first period, but couldn’t convert.

The Stars got their first power play halfway through the period and they converted. Wyatt Johnston took a point shot that deflected off Radko Gudas‘ stick and behind Dostal.

Dallas went on the power play again in the final minutes of the period and Anaheim was able to kill it off. The Stars led 1-0 after the first period.

Nikita Nesterenko scored in the opening minutes of the second period to tie the game. Pavel Mintyukov took a point shot and Nesterenko redirected past Oettinger in front of the net.

Mikael Granlund answered for the Stars just over a minute later to retake the lead 2-1.

After a couple of penalty calls, the Ducks had 4-on-3 and 5-on-3 power plays. Leo Carlsson scored to tie the game up. There was some confusion as the whistle was blown and it appeared the play was blown dead when Carlsson tapped the puck into the net. The goal was originally disallowed for goalie interference and was challenged by Anaheim. The call was overturned and the goal stood for Carlsson.

Dallas was called for a penalty in the final minutes of the period. The Ducks had pulled Dostal for the extra attacker and Oskar Back was called for slashing against Carlsson in front of the net. Leo was awarded a penalty and he made a nice move faking Oettinger to his left and then depositing the puck behind him to his right side. The Ducks led 3-2 after two periods.

The Stars tied up the game early in the third period. Jamie Benn got the puck behind the net and found Thomas Harley in the slot. He took a wrist shot high over Dostal’s glove for the score.

The teams stayed tied at three at the end of regulation. Bonus hockey was needed to determine a winner. Halfway through the overtime, Granlund scored his second goal of the game with a backhand shot over Dostal’s shoulder. The Star won 4-3 in overtime.

Analysis:

The Ducks got off to another very slow start. They found themselves down 1-0 after the first period and were only able to generate two shots on goal despite having two power plays in the period.

Anaheim found life with an early goal in the second period by Nesterenko. Carlsson scored twice towards the end of the period and the Ducks found themselves up by one to start the third. Anaheim couldn’t keep the lead in the third and had to settle for OT. Ducks had chances to win in the third and OT, but ended up losing in the extra session.

After being badly outshot in the first period, the Ducks outshot the Stars 22-19 in the second and third periods. The Stars outshot the Ducks 3-1 in the extra session and scored the game winner. The Stars scored three times at even strength and the Ducks had one even strength goal. Dallas had a CF % of 56.19% and a FF% of 56.58%. Both teams went 1-for-4 on the power play.

Overall, tonight wasn’t a bad effort, but it still wasn’t a consistent one either. The Ducks started out slow and then got better as the game went on. They are now currently 9 points behind St. Louis for the wild card spot with just 14 games to go.

Team Notes/Stats:

Nesterenko scored his 5th NHL goal and it was against a team not named St. Louis.

Troy Terry has four consecutive 50 point seasons. Only four Ducks players in franchise had longer streaks: Ryan Getlzaf (6), Paul Kairya (5), Corey Perry (5), and Teemu Selanne (5).

Carlsson became the youngest Ducks player(20 years, 82 day) to score a goal on a penalty shot. Leo also scored in his first and only penalty shot attempt in his career.

What’s Next?

The Ducks take on the Nashville Predators Thursday at 5 PM.

Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, Ducks gear, and more!

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

March 18th, 2025