ANAHEIM, CA — The Ducks had one of their top players back in top form in a high-scoring game, but they fell 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings at Honda Center on Sunday to finish their eight-game homestand with seven losses.
Trevor Zegras scored twice. Luká Dostál made 25 saves out of 28 attempts.
For Detroit, Dylan Larkin and Joe Veleno each scored before Michael Rasmussen scored the game-winner. Alex Lyon stopped 28 of 30 shots.
As the clock struck 1:07, disaster struck, ending the Ducks’ eight-game homestand with a single victory. Rasmussen used his foot to redirect Moritz Seider’s shot, which was upheld on review due to the lack of a distinct kicking motion.
Frank Vatrano took an ill-advised offensive penalty when he high-sticked Jeff Petry with 3:57 remaining in the game. The Ducks killed the penalty shot, but it came at a cost: Radko Gudas was stung hard by a David Perron shot attempt from the left circle.
Detroit’s leading scorer, Alex DeBrincat, launched a one-timer from near the left dot near the midpoint of the third period, only to be stopped by a sliding Dostál. Dostál would later finish off a takeaway-to-breakaway opportunity for J.T. Compher.
The Ducks tied the game at 3:55 of the third period, and Zegras doubled his season total with a short-side snipe for an equalizer. He received the puck low in the right faceoff circle, settled it instantly, and lifted it into the top corner, capitalizing on Cam Fowler’s astute pass through a seam. Fowler, a Michigan native, moved into a tie for fifth place all-time in Ducks scoring with 432 points, matching Steve Rucchin’s total.
The Ducks had numerous chances in the second period, and Dostál shone when called upon, such as when he robbed Patrick Kane on an open attempt from the doorstep.
There were three Ducks power plays in the period, including 1:35 of a five-on-three advantage and a portion of a fourth. During one power play, Adam Henrique had two strong bids, and Jamie Drysdale’s brave zone entry set up Troy Terry for a forceful shot that got through Lyon, only to see him glove the puck behind his back. Pavel Mintyukov also found the back of the net on a backdoor play.
Despite this, it was the Red Wings who dominated the five-on-five play and scored the only goal of the period.
A seemingly innocuous pass from the corner to below the goal line resulted in a game-winning goal for Detroit. Veleno narrowly stuffed the puck past Dostál on a wraparound attempt that necessitated a lengthy review to determine whether the puck had crossed the line completely.
1-1, 11:10 into the game, Detroit had put the score where it would remain at the first intermission. Perron did what he does best during a power play by feeding the slot. He found Larkin between the hash marks, surrounded by three Ducks defenders, for a one-timer and his 14th goal of the season.
Despite entering the game as one of the five highest-scoring teams in the NHL, having 15 times surpassed the five-goal mark in a single game, the Ducks scored first.
Zegras deftly deflected Terry’s shot downward, bouncing it off the ice and past Lyon just 20 seconds after the puck dropped. It was Zegras’ third goal of the season and his first since Dec. 23, when he returned from a six-week injury absence. Terry returned to the ice on Sunday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in a loss to the Arizona Coyotes on December 29.
In other roster and injury news, goalie John Gibson (illness) was unable to play, necessitating the emergency recall of Alex Stalock and the subsequent demotion of defenseman Jackson LaCombe. The Ducks also placed Max Jones (upper-body) on injured reserve on a week-to-week basis, but Ryan Strome (upper-body) returned after a two-game absence.
