Late surge caps 5-3 Ducks victory
The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome, snapping a three-goal deficit to claim the win. The visitors overcame a sluggish second period and a dominant first half from the host Flames to improve their standing, while Calgary’s home struggles continued.
Leo Carlsson and Mikael Granlund emerged as the pivotal figures for Anaheim, combining for three points in the decisive third period to shift the momentum permanently in the Ducks’ favor.
Flames take early lead
Calgary established control early in the first period, scoring three times to build a 3-1 cushion. William Stromgren opened the scoring with a backhand goal, assisted by Zayne Parekh and Yan Kuznetsov. The Ducks responded briefly with an unassisted wrist shot by Jeff Malott, tying the game at 1-1.
However, the Flames regained the lead through Joel Hanley, who scored on a slap shot with assists from Morgan Frost and Simon Nemec. Joel Farabee extended the Flames' advantage to 3-1 with a snap shot, assisted by Parekh and Frost. Morgan Frost finished the period with two assists, highlighting Calgary's early offensive production.
Third-period turnaround
The Ducks managed only one goal in the second period, with Tristan Luneau scoring a snap shot on assists from Jackson LaCombe and Leo Carlsson to make it 2-3. The game remained tight heading into the final frame. In the third period, Leo Carlsson tied the game at 3-3 with a snap shot, assisted by Beckett Sennecke and Granlund.
Granlund then provided the second assist of his game to help Cutter Gauthier score the go-ahead goal, a slap shot that made the score 4-3. The Ducks sealed the victory when Nikita Nesterenko scored an unassisted wrist shot in the final minutes to close out the 5-3 win. Granlund finished with two assists, while Carlsson recorded one goal and one assist, totaling two points.
Records and final standings
The result improves the Anaheim Ducks' record to 9-7-1, giving them 19 points on the season. The Calgary Flames drop to 7-9-1 with 15 points after the loss. The game drew an attendance of 17,455 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
For the Ducks, Cutter Gauthier continued his strong scoring form with his 12th goal of the season, while Nikita Nesterenko added his third. For Calgary, William Stromgren scored his second goal, and Joel Farabee recorded his sixth. The performance underscores the Ducks' ability to rally from deficits and the Flames' inconsistent offensive output across the three periods.
Sources
ESPN
