Swift Seattle strikes down Ducks in third period

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Two consecutive games with two quick ones against, and it’s a four-game point streak snapped for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Seattle Kraken scored two goals 24 seconds apart in the first minute of the third period to undo a Ducks lead and hand Anaheim its first regulation loss in four games, 3-2, on Monday at Honda Center.

Anaheim (8-9-3) had a three-game win streak stopped by Buffalo on Friday, conceding a 2-0 lead in 50 seconds in the second period on the way to an overtime defeat.

“I think we’ve proved to ourselves the team we can be when we’re playing fast,” Ducks forward Troy Terry said. “I thought we came out and did that in the first period. Then whatever the case was in the second period, whether it was penalties, they were making a push. It felt like their momentum kind of carried into the start of the third.”

The Ducks and Kraken (11-10-1) will meet up again on Wednesday in Seattle.

“They’re a team that’s right in front of us in the standings,” Terry said. “It felt like the building was pretty alive tonight. It felt like somewhat of a playoff game. This time of year is when teams start to separate themselves. As a team, getting experience in those types of games, you can tell the intensity was higher.”

Terry registered two points with a primary assist on Trevor Zegras’ game-tying goal in the first period and a secondary assist on a rebound goal by Frank Vatrano to put the Ducks up 2-1 in the second period.

Lukáš Dostál made 25 saves in the loss and is 0-5-0 against Seattle in his career.

Seattle goalie Joey Daccord made 21 saves and is 3-0-0 against Anaheim in his career.

Ducks 19-year-old star forward Leo Carlsson went down hard on a late hit with five minutes left in the second period. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick did not return with an upper-body injury.

Seattle turned the tide against Anaheim with two tallies in the first 1:10 of the third period 24 seconds apart.

The Kraken tied the game on a fortuitous rebound from Dostal into a crashing Andre Burakovsky, which dribbled into the net, 2-2. On the ensuing shift, former Duck Brandon Montour stepped into a clean face-off win with a rocket slap shot to put Seattle ahead, 3-2.

“The first goal is a tough bounce,” Vatrano said. “The other one’s a neck-high slap shot, and he loses track of it. I don’t think there’s any breakdowns there. It’s just the way the puck goes.”

Anaheim generated 11 shots on goal in the third period and was nearly even at five-on-five shot attempts, 15-16, but the Ducks lost the speed in their attack that made them dangerous in the first period.

“When we play fast, we move the puck north, we get to areas where we can advance it forward,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “It started out a little bit sloppy and then I think some guys try to take over the game themselves and try to carry the puck too much, instead of just let the puck do the work.

“It’s not complicated. We have to play to our structure, play to our system and you can anticipate, play faster.”

Seattle cracked the game open taking advantage of a Ducks turnover.

Jackson LaCombe attempted to make a long diagonal pass out of the zone from the boards, but Shane Wright pounced on the puck at the blue line. Thirty seconds later, Wright deflected home a soft point shot, fighting off Olen Zellweger at the top of the crease for the lead, 1-0.

Wright, the 2022 No. 4 overall pick, had been a healthy scratch in the previous three games.

The Zegras-Carlsson-Alex Killorn line began the game with plenty of jump and leveled it up late in the period.

After killing off a Seattle power play, the Ducks drew a delayed penalty, and on the extended 6-on-5, Terry picked up speed in the neutral zone, picked out Zegras on the rush and Zegras picked a corner, 1-1.

Anaheim grabbed the lead in the second period going to the net. Terry again wheeled in the zone, hit Zellweger for the shot and Frank Vatrano popped the rebound into the empty net, 2-1.

Late in the period, Anaheim lost its top-line center, as Carlsson was hit late into the Ducks net. Carlsson lost his helmet as he hit the ice and stayed down before skating off to the locker room.

Anaheim killed off two Seattle power plays in the second period, as Dostal was superb in the crease with 11 saves in the frame to take the 2-1 lead into the third period.

Game Notes

• Ducks forward Mason McTavish was activated off of injured reserve and started at third-line center between Cutter Gauthier and Brett Leason and moved up to the top line between Zegras and Killorn after Carlsson's injury. He played 17:49 time-on-ice. McTavish missed the previous six games with an upper-body injury.

• Terry’s two assists gave him 13 points in 11 career games against Seattle. Zegras’ goal was his fifth tally, 10th point against the Kraken in 11 games.

• Forward Brock McGinn (lower-body injury) missed his third straight game.

• Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (upper-body injury) missed his fifth straight game.