ANAHEIM — The Ducks’ last four wins had been of the wagon-circling variety, and while they never trailed on Tuesday night, there was no shortage of intrigue in their 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Honda Center.
It was their fifth win in their past eight games, and over a team that entered the day leading both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, but that had slipped behind the Washington Capitals by the end of the evening.
The Ducks also beat the Western-Conference-topping Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 18 by an identical 3-2 score and also on a late goal. With the win they moved to 14-0-1 in games during which they scored three or more goals this season.
Tuesday, they limited one of the top offenses in the NHL to a pair of goals that deflected off of Ducks defenders, while holding Jack Hughes’ line scoreless. Brian Dumoulin broke up leading scorer Jesper Bratt’s breakaway, one of several strong plays the Ducks made around their net on a night when they also blocked 21 shots to New Jersey’s 10.
“We played a hell of a game,” said Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál, who had 32 saves. “There were a lot of blocked shots and we were creating chances. In the first period, they had pressure, but in the second and third I thought we controlled the game.”
The Ducks went ahead 2-0, but retroceded that lead before Ryan Strome’s slap shot from above the right circle found the net on the far side thanks in part to Troy Terry’s screen with 3:24 left. It was Strome’s second straight outing with the deciding goal, his first two game-winners of the season.
“They scored two quick goals in the third, but I was just like ‘OK, whatever happened happened,’” Dostál said. “We were still pushing hard and had belief that we were going to score a goal, and (Strome) made a hell of a shot. We have a resilient group.”
Strome also added an assist on Terry’s goal, while Frank Vatrano helped set up both of those markers to help the Ducks win consecutive games for the second time in two weeks. Robby Fabbri emptied his gas tank once again and got a second goal in as many games in return. Dostál made his fifth straight appearance and won for the fourth time in five starts.
Jonas Siegenthaler and Timo Meier scored for New Jersey. Jacob Markström made 23 saves.
Missed opportunities – the Ducks failed to cash in on multiple breakaways and dropped to one goal from their past 31 power plays after an 0-for-3 night – threatened to become a theme for the Ducks on Tuesday, and no more so than with 6:40 to play. Only 11 seconds after Mason McTavish was denied on a breakaway, Meier scored off a long shot from between the circles to cap a counterattack.
Just 1:34 after they took a 2-0 lead, the Ducks handed the Devils that second goal right back. Alex Killorn’s failed clearing attempt went directly to Siegenthaler, who fired the puck right back at the net through heavy traffic to slice the Devils’ deficit in half.
“When they did make it 2-2, the bench was terrific,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “They were kind of fluky goals. The first one was kind of innocent, it was a wrist shot that got deflected and the second one was a rush shot from 40 feet away that I think hit something on the way to the net. They responded well. They’re maturing as a group.”
The Ducks carried momentum from the late stages of the second period into the third and finally earned some breathing room at the 3:57 mark. Dumoulin’s takeaway and outlet pass sent Cutter Gauthier and Fabbri off on a two-on-one rush, which Fabbri finished by waiting out Markström and skating around the towering Swede to roof a wrist shot.
A stronger stanza territorially maintained the Ducks’ 1-0 advantage. They held the Devils at bay and garnered a pair of sterling chances 62 seconds apart as the second intermission loomed. First, Fabbri’s clean breakaway was foiled by the crossbar as his backhand bid beat Markström but not the metal above him. Then, Dumoulin made a savvy pass to Leo Carlsson as he slithered through the slot for a menacing shot.
Though the Ducks were out-shot 16-5 in the first period with unfavorable analytical barometers to match, they headed to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead and nearly made it 2-0 off of Vatrano’s late-frame rush chance.
He was involved in the Ducks’ first goal as well, combining with Strome on the forecheck. Strome slipped a pass from the goal line to the slot, where Terry extended fully to control the puck and sweep it past Markström.
“It’s really visual on the ice when people are connected and they trust each other. You can see them, they’re a unit of three,” Cronin said. “When they get the puck in the offensive zone, they know where each other are.”
The Ducks also killed two penalties in a period where Dostál absorbed a barrage with aplomb and got some help from the crossbar against Dougie Hamilton’s shot.
Cronin praised Dostál’s poise, maturity and accountability as well as his play in a first period wherein he said he thought the Devils could have three goals instead of none. The netminder was yet another performer who handled Tuesday’s twists and turns with aplomb.
“Whether we’re up or we’re down, we’re trying to play in their end and play with the puck, and not just sit back,” Fabbri said. “It’s a resilient group in here, and these games have been a lot of fun.”