Ducks Come Up Short In Game 1

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks started Round 2 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. Lukas Dostal was in net against Carter Hart.

There was no scoring in the first period.

Brett Howden scored early in the second period to make it a 1-0 Vegas lead. Mitch Marner made a nice pass to Howden who had an open net on the rush to shoot at it.

The Ducks tied the game up with about six minutes to go in the third period. Mikael Granlund got to a rebound and scored low to even the game up.

Just about a minute later Pavel Dorofeyev found Ivan Barbashev in front to make it a 2-1 Vegas lead. The Ducks pulled Dostal in the final minutes and Vegas scored an empty net goal. The Ducks lost 3-1.

Analysis:

The Ducks showed up to play in Las Vegas, but still ended up losing. Anaheim outshot Vegas in every period and overall had a 34-22 advantage. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period and the Ducks were able to tie it up in the third. A controversial none call for icing went in Vegas’ favor and they scored afterward. The Ducks tried to get the tying goal, but couldn’t and the Golden Knights scored in the empty net to make it a 3-1 final.

Anaheim had plenty of chances to take the lead and score first but they didn’t. The Ducks had four power plays and couldn’t score. Vegas had an outstanding penalty kill in their first series against Utah and they continued to be effective again in Game 1.

The Ducks also had a great chance to tie the game in the second period, but Jackson LaCombe decided to pass the puck in front instead of shoot it. Leo Carlsson made a nice move around a few Vegas players and found LaCombe all alone in front, but he tried to then pass the puck to Troy Terry. Not sure what LaCombe was thinking on that sequence as he had an open net to shoot at.

Unlike the series against Edmonton, where each game was a track meet, this series started out with a defensive battle. The Ducks had the better chances, but Hart stood on his head and nearly shut the Ducks out.

Anaheim showed they can hang with Vegas in Game 1, just like they did in the first game of the series of against Edmonton. The Ducks are going to have to step up their game and figure out how to beat Hart in order to win this series.

What’s Next?

The Ducks play Game 2 in Las Vegas at 6:30 PM on Wednesday.

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May 5th, 2026