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-game winless skid to construct a three-game points streak, which disintegrated on Tuesday.
Already without Frank Vatrano (shoulder injury), who scored more goals over the past three seasons 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.
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 for the Stars. In addition to some longer-term absences, Dallas skated sans 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 around four minutes left and put the screws to the Ducks six-on-five. After their first unit was narrowly held in check, their second converted 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.
The Ducks remained relentless against a third-period push from the Stars, adding an insurance marker with 7:57 to play, which became the game-winning goal.
Sennecke out-battled multiple defenders to secure a puck at the side of the net, deftly sliding the puck over for a 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 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 while 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 second period.
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 games.
The Ducks dominated the opening frame by every measure except the score, with zeros remaining on the board as the teams headed to their respective dressing rooms.
Sennecke and Mason McTavish each had sterling, point-blank chances off of Dallas turnovers, but failed to hit the net. Dostál made two larcenous saves in two seconds, both against Robertson, before DeSmith stoned Ryan Strome at the opposite end late in the opening salvo.
More to come on this story.
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