NEW YORK — On an emotional night for two of their teammates, Cutter Gauthier and Lukas Dostal made sure the Ducks came out on top.
Gauthier scored the go-ahead goal six minutes into the third period and got his second on an empty-netter, Dostal stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced, and the Ducks beat the New York Rangers, 4-1, on Monday night to end a two-game losing streak.
The game marked the return of Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba to Madison Square Garden after the Rangers traded both players to the Ducks since the start of last season.
Kreider’s 13-year career with the Rangers ended when he was traded to the Ducks on June 12, and Trouba’s tenure with the Rangers ended when he was shipped to Anaheim on Dec. 6, 2024.
Kreider received a lengthy video tribute with 11:03 left in the first period and Trouba received a shorter tribute during the next timeout with 9:35 left. Both players waved to the crowd while fans applauded.
Gauthier’s first goal with one second left on a power play came off a perfectly placed pass from rookie Beckett Sennecke. Igor Shesterkin barely had a chance to react.
Defenseman Jackson LaCombe scored the Ducks’ first goal shorthanded in the second period, putting home a rebound after Jacob Trouba sprung Ryan Poehling up the ice late in the Rangers’ 5-on-3 power play. Dostal was brilliant at the other end of the rink, at one point making a toe save on J.T. Miller and sliding over to deny Vladislav Gavrikov immediately after.
The Ducks (20-12-1) got a goal in the final seconds from Pavel Mintyukov and celebrated with Trouba and Kreider.
Matthew Robertson scored the only goal for the Rangers (16-14-4), who have lost 12 of their 16 home games this season, late in the second period. Robinson’s shot from the top of the zone deflected off Frank Vatrano’s stick and bounced up and over Dostal. The goaltender attempted to steer it away, but the puck banked off his stick.
Officials immediately waved it off for a high stick but determined the goal counted since replays showed Trocheck swinging at the puck in front of the crease without making contact.
New York was without center Mika Zibanejad, whom Coach Mike Sullivan scratched for breaking a team rule by missing a meeting. Big winger Matt Rempe took Zibanejad’s spot in the lineup, back after he missed 24 games since getting injured in a fight on Oct. 23.
More to come on this story.
UP NEXT
The Ducks wrap up their five-game Eastern Conference road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday at 4 p.m. PT.