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The Anaheim Ducks rallied from an early three-goal deficit to defeat the Ottawa Senators 6-3 at Honda Center on Sunday evening, concluding their three-game homestand with a much-needed comeback victory.
Anaheim entered the contest in the middle of a slump, having surrendered multi-goal leads in each of their previous two outings and securing just one standings point out of a possible four despite tallying 11 goals. The Senators arrived for the second leg of a back-to-back set to finish their California road trip, following a 5-1 triumph over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and a 6-5 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
Roster Shifts and Goaltending Battle
Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Ducks executed several roster transactions. Forward prospect Nikita Klepov was reassigned to the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League for the remainder of the season, netminder Laurent Brossoit was recalled, defenseman Nick Jensen was placed on waivers before heading to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, and blueliner Pavel Mintyukov was activated from injured reserve.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville gave Brossoit the starting nod in net, where the goaltender stopped 20 of 23 shots. Jonas Johansson manned the crease for Ottawa, turning aside 27 of 33 Anaheim attempts. After conceding early scores—including a deflection credited to Philip Tomasino and a rush goal from Claude Giroux—along with a breakaway tally, Brossoit shut down the Senators over the final two periods.
“As a team, we can’t be satisfied with our recent record and in the way we’ve lost some games here,” Quenneville said after the game. “I thought tonight, the effort, the enthusiasm on the bench there, the response down 3-0, it wasn’t a great setting on the bench, but I think everybody hung in there.”
Special Teams Turn the Tide
The Ducks flipped the script following the opening intermission, tightening defensive zone coverage and thriving on special teams. Anaheim’s power play served as the primary catalyst for the comeback, converting four times on five opportunities. The primary man-advantage unit featured fluid movement and position swapping among Beckett Sennecke, Mikael Granlund, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier.
Defensively, Anaheim adjusted against Ottawa’s rush attacks after early lapses. On the penalty kill, Travis Mitchell and Mintyukov cleared out traffic near the crease, while Carlsson provided puck possession shorthanded to bleed off critical clock time.
Key Skater Performances
Forward Judd Caulfield stood out around the net, netting two goals through sheer persistence and hand-eye coordination in tight areas. On the blue line, Tristan Luneau logged heavy minutes against Ottawa’s Shane Pinto line and joined Mintyukov to limit opposing opportunities while generating offensive chances from the point. Mintyukov settled in after his first few shifts back from injury to provide physical play in front of the net and active neutral-zone disruption. Rookie forward Roger McQueen also continued to show steady progression in defensive positioning and forechecking poise.
With Brossoit set to travel with the team, Anaheim opens a three-game Western Canada road trip on Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia.
