ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks are officially back in this series. Behind a balanced offensive attack and a strong bounce-back effort from Lukas Dostal, Anaheim defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Sunday night to even their Western Conference second-round matchup at two games apiece.
Rookie sensation Beckett Sennecke continued his breakout postseason with a goal and an assist, while veteran Alex Killorn matched the effort with a goal and helper of his own.
Ian Moore added his first career playoff goal, and Cutter Gauthier chipped in three assists as Anaheim responded impressively after being blown out in Game 3.
Dostal Responds Under Pressure
After being pulled in the previous game, Dostal answered with a composed performance, stopping 18 shots and regaining control in net. The Ducks also tightened up defensively after allowing six goals in Game 3, delivering one of their most complete two-way efforts of the postseason.
Special Teams Swing Momentum
Anaheim’s power play finally came alive. The Ducks scored two power-play goals, snapping an ugly 0-for-11 drought and ending Vegas’ streak of 21 consecutive penalty kills.
Sennecke opened the scoring with Anaheim’s first power-play breakthrough of the series. The 20-year-old Calder Trophy finalist has now scored in three straight playoff games, joining Sidney Crosby as the only players under 21 to accomplish that feat in the postseason this century.
Vegas Pushes Late
The Golden Knights didn’t go quietly.
- Pavel Dorofeyev scored again
- Brett Howden continued his hot postseason
- Mitch Marner added three assists, bringing his playoff total to an NHL-best 16 points
Tomas Hertl scored with just over a minute left after Vegas pulled Carter Hart for the extra attacker, but Anaheim held on.
Vegas also played without captain Mark Stone, who missed the game with an undisclosed injury suffered in Game 3. His absence was noticeable, particularly in late-game situations and defensive structure.
What looked like a Vegas-controlled series after Game 3 has completely shifted again.
Now:
- Game 5 heads back to Las Vegas Tuesday
- Game 6 returns to Anaheim Thursday
- The series is essentially a best-of-three
And suddenly, the young Ducks are playing with confidence.
The Anaheim Ducks didn’t just survive the blowout loss in Game 3. They answered it. So now, the pressure shifts back to Vegas.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
