ANAHEIM — Already hemorrhaging goals and short two attackers, the Ducks could ill afford to lose their two most potent offensive forces.
But they did, and nearly responded with their first shutout of 2025-26 against the A-list Dallas Stars, prevailing 3-1 on Tuesday night at Honda Center.
They claimed the season series from Dallas, sandwiching an 8-3 loss between two tight victories over the NHL’s No. 2 team by record.
The Ducks had given up 45 goals across a nine-game losing streak and dropped 13 of their previous 15 decisions overall. The Stars had rebounded from a season-worst, six-match winless skid to construct a three-game points streak, which disintegrated on Tuesday in just their second loss in eight tail ends of back-to-back sets.
Already without Frank Vatrano (shoulder injury), who scored more goals over the past three campaigns than any Duck, and two-time team scoring leader Troy Terry (upper-body injury), the Ducks were suddenly missing this year’s top point-producer Leo Carlsson (lower-body injury) and top goal-scorer Cutter Gauthier (illness). Defenseman Jacob Trouba returned to action following the birth of his and wife Kelly’s second son, Cy.
“It was a complete game. We talk about the check-first mentality, but we had pace in our game, we had support, we had puck time and we had zone time. We wanted to play that type of game today and we couldn’t have drawn it up better or asked for a better effort,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “The guys really stuck together and dug down deep, and got a big two points for us [that we needed] in the worst way, and against all odds.”
Quenneville said that his top three scorers – Carlsson, Terry and Gauthier – were all game-time decisions and were still designated as day-to-day.
Chris Kreider and Beckett Sennecke scored a goal apiece before Trouba buried an empty-netter. Lukáš Dostál stopped 24 shots after giving up four or more goals in his previous six starts.
Roope Hintz broke up Dostál’s shutout in the dying embers. Casey DeSmith made 22 saves. In addition to some longer-term absences, Dallas skated without top defender Miro Heiskanen (personal reasons) after the versatile Finn played 25:55 in a 3-1 victory over the Kings on Monday.
The Stars pulled DeSmith with over four minutes left and put the screws to the Ducks six-on-five. They converted off a tic-tac-toe sequence when Matt Duchene hit Hintz as he crashed the net to make it 2-1, just 2:12 before the final horn.
But Trouba’s length-of-the-ice lob into the vacated cage assured that the Ducks’ slide would not reach double digits, securing two points 59:39 into the contest.
“Unbelievable. When we play the right way, we’re getting the results. It was a long time coming for us, and hopefully the bad times are over and we can build on it,” Dostál said.
The Ducks remained relentless against a third-period push from the Stars, adding an insurance goal with 7:57 to play, which became the game-winner.
Sennecke out-battled multiple defenders to secure possession at the side of the net, deftly sliding the puck over for a kneeling, far-side backhand and his 15th goal of the season. That’s the second-highest total among NHL rookies behind Montreal’s Oliver Kapanen.
“The whole forward group knew that we had to give a little bit extra knowing that those guys weren’t in, and it was a full team effort,” Sennecke said.
The Ducks nearly headed to the second intermission with a 2-0 lead, having deposited the puck with 39.8 seconds on the clock, but the goal was nullified.
During a Dallas power play, Jason Robertson generated a rebound for Wyatt Johnston, but his attempt went wide. The Ducks counterattacked shorthanded. Ryan Poehling challenged Thomas Harley and held onto the puck long enough to free up Alex Killorn for an easy goal, but the officials waived it off because Poehling had skated into DeSmith, constituting goalie interference.
After carrying play and persisting through a seesaw series of penalties, the Ducks finally kicked off the scoring 3:36 into the middle frame.
During a four-on-four situation, Sennecke’s one-time blast from the left circle went wide and came all the way to Radko Gudas at the opposite corner of the zone. He found Mikael Granlund, who spotted Kreider gliding onto the right hash marks. He smoked a snap shot past DeSmith for his 15th goal as a Duck but just his second in 20 appearances.
The Ducks dominated the first period by every measure except the score, with zeros remaining on the board as the teams headed to their respective dressing rooms.
“We kind of had a sluggish start,” former Duck Sam Steel said. “We knew they were a fast team that can make you pay off the rush and that brings high energy. They brought it tonight, for sure.”
Sennecke and Mason McTavish each had sterling, point-blank chances off of Dallas turnovers, but they failed to hit the net. Dostál made two larcenous saves in two seconds, both on Robertson, before DeSmith stoned Ryan Strome at the opposite end late in the opening salvo.
The Ducks halted their freefall, one that took them from first place in the Pacific Division to a lean .500 points percentage ahead of Tuesday’s slump-buster.
“Hopefully we go on a nine-game heater, string some wins together and get back in that top (spot),” Sennecke said.