Ducks Even Up The Series With The Golden Knights

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks faced the Golden Knights in Las Vegas for Game 2. Lukas Dostal was in net against Carter Hart again. It appeared the Ducks would go with the game lineup, but Head Coach Joel Quenneville put Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins in last minute and scratched Mason McTavish and Ian Moore.

Beckett Sennecke gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead just over halfway into the second period after a scoreless opening period. Jeffrey Viel got the puck in the corner and found Sennecke in front for the score. Anaheim led 1-0 after two periods.

The Ducks took a 2-0 lead with just over six minutes played in the third period. Troy Terry skated through traffic and found Leo Carlsson alone in front for a tap in score.

Vegas pulled their goalie in the final minutes and Jansen Harkins scored into the empty net to make it a 3-0 lead. The Knights did get a goal with about five seconds to go to ruin Dostal’s shutout bid. Anaheim won by a 3-1 final.

Analysis:

The Ducks came out strong again to start this game and finally scored in the second period. They added another early in the third to make it 2-0 and then got an empty netter to seal the deal. Vegas got on the board in the dying seconds of the game, but it was academic at that point.

Just like the Ducks did in Edmonton, they come back home from Las Vegas with a 1-1 split. In Game 2 Anaheim had a really strong first period outshooting Vegas 13-3 largely in part to three straight power plays. The Ducks couldn’t score though with the man advantage including a 5-on-3 they had for over 90 seconds. Anaheim has gone 0-for-9 on the power play in the first two games. The Ducks could be up 2-0 in this series if they played better on the power play.

At even strength the Ducks have been the better team so far. Anaheim outshot Vegas again this time 28-22. The Ducks have been able to control the pace and get in on the forecheck. They have also limited Vegas chances. Hart continues to play amazing. He stole Game 1 and kept Anaheim in check for the first half of Game 2. Dostal has also played well and nearly had his first shutout of the postseason. He has gotten better with each game in the playoffs.

It appeared the Ducks were going with the same lineup as before, but Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins drew into the lineup for Mason McTavish and Ian Moore. All the forward lines except the top line were jumbled up. The changes weren’t know publicly until right before puck drop. I discussed on the podcast the possibility of Johnston and/or Harkins drawing in at some point in this series. Both bring physical and defensive play that can match up against Vegas. It was interesting to see McTavish as a healthy scratch. Coach Q stated the decision was more to get other guys in the lineup than how McTavish or Moore are playing.

The series shifts to Anaheim where they look to hold serve and take a series lead.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host he Golden Knights on Friday at 6:30 PM.

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May 7th, 2026