Ducks Can’t Hold Off The Sharks

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks flew up to San Jose for a one game road trip against the Sharks. Lukas Dostal was in net against Yaroslav Askarov. The Ducks were without Cutter Gauthier, Radko Gudas, and Pavel Mintyukov.

The Sharks took a 1-0 lead in the opening minutes of the first period. Will Smith scored on a one-timer from the slot.

Ryan Poehling tied up the game later in the period. He skated around a hip check then broke in on Arskarov beating him over the shoulder with wrist shot. The teams were tied at one after the opening period.

Anaheim took a 2-1 lead late in the second period. Drew Helleson found Alex Killorn streaking down the left wing and he buried the pass into the open net. The Ducks led 2-1 after the second period.

San Jose tied up the game in the opening minute of the third period. Will Smith found Macklin Celebrini and he beat Dostal over the shoulder.

Troy Terry scored on a great individual effort to give the Ducks the lead back minutes later. Dmitry Orlov tried to clear the zone and Terry intercepted the pass then broke in on Askarov scoring on a rebound after his initial shot was blocked.

Shortly after the goal, Jeffrey Viel and Zack Ostapchuk dropped the gloves.

The Sharks pulled their goalie in the final minutes of the game and San Jose was able to score twice to pull off a win. Celebrini scored his second of the period through traffic from the left face-off circle. Then he found Alexander Wennberg in the slot and he beat Dostal glove side.

Analysis:

The Ducks were scored on first, but eventually had a 2-1 lead to start the third period. Anaheim even had a 3-2 late in this contest, but gave up two goals in the final two minutes and ended up losing 4-3.

It’s a tough pill to swallow especially after losing to Toronto when they led 3-1 to start the third period in that contest. The Ducks usually win when having a lead in the third, but they have lost three games in the past two weeks when leading in third including the game against Philadelphia on March 18th. They also blew a 4-2 lead to Buffalo on March 22nd, but ended up winning that contest in overtime.

Is this a cause to panic and sound the alarm? Or is this just growing pains of a young team, which is ahead of schedule this season. It’s probably a little of both. There is no need to go into complete panic mode yet, but this is also something that shouldn’t be completely ignored. It’s just been two consecutive games where they have blown leads, which isn’t good obviously, so they just can’t let this become a growing trend. The team still has seven games before the playoffs and you want to have some kind of momentum heading into the playoffs.

Overall, the Ducks played well and had two points in their hands until the final two minutes. They outshot San Jose 31 to 21. Anaheim had three even strength goals to one for San Jose until the final two minutes.

A big reason for the Sharks victory was Celebrini. The Ducks held him to just one assist through two periods, but then he scored twice and assisted on the game winner. There have been times this season when the Ducks haven’t been able to contain an opponent’s best player. Again more growing pains for a young team.

San Jose also won the special team battle. They scored once in their two attempts and the Ducks came up empty in three attempts. The Anaheim power play has been better lately, but still inconsistent.

The Ducks are still in first place, a position no one thought they would be in come April. They are a much improved team from last season. Yes they aren’t perfect and have things to work on. They are going to be a threat in the playoffs and if they can fix a few things then they might be able to go farther than some people think.

Team Notes/Stats:

Dostal earned an assist on the first Anaheim goal. It was his first career NHL point.

Nathan Gaucher made his NHL debut. He played just over seven minutes. He had one shot, one blocked shot, and one hit.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host St. Louis Friday at 7 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!

April 2nd, 2026