Alex Killorn’s Overtime Winner Lifts Anaheim Ducks to 4-3 Comeback Victory Over Columbus
The Anaheim Ducks rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, with Alex Killorn scoring his second goal of the game just 1:43 into overtime. Killorn capitalized on a stretch pass from Robby Fabbri, breaking away to secure the win. Ducks coach Greg Cronin noted that Killorn was not a typical overtime selection, emphasizing his defensive reliability, which ultimately worked out perfectly for the team. The victory ended Anaheim’s five-game winless streak (0-4-1).
The Ducks saw strong performances from several players, including Jackson LaCombe, who contributed a goal and an assist, and Troy Terry and Robby Fabbri, who each tallied two assists. Goaltender John Gibson was instrumental in the win, making 39 saves, 16 of which came during a critical third period. The Ducks’ forward Ryan Strome praised the team’s resilience, acknowledging the difficulty of their road trip and expressing pride in their ability to secure a win in the final game.
Alex Killorn’s Overtime Winner Lifts Anaheim Ducks to 4-3 Comeback Victory Over Columbus
The Blue Jackets, who have struggled to maintain leads, received goals from Kirill Marchenko, Cole Sillinger, and James van Riemsdyk. Despite a strong start, Columbus let another third-period lead slip away, marking their second consecutive overtime loss after leading late. Goaltender Jet Greaves made 23 saves, but defensive lapses allowed the Ducks to capitalize. Van Riemsdyk emphasized the need for consistency, particularly in maintaining control when holding a third-period advantage.
Mason McTavish opened the scoring for Anaheim with his 100th NHL point in the first period, but Columbus quickly responded with goals from Marchenko and Sillinger to take a 2-1 lead. Killorn tied the game 2-2 in the second period, setting the stage for a tense third period. After van Riemsdyk put Columbus ahead again, LaCombe’s long shot through traffic tied the game at 3-3 with just under three minutes left, forcing overtime.
The Ducks’ win came on an emotional day, as Anaheim traded veteran defenseman Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues. Fowler, who spent 15 seasons with the Ducks and played 991 games, was a significant figure in franchise history. Ryan Strome acknowledged the challenge of losing a team leader but praised the group for rallying to secure a much-needed victory.
Alex Killorn sealed his two-goal night by scoring 1:43 into overtime, leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Killorn had already scored in the second period, and in overtime, he received a pass from Robby Fabri and beat goalie Jet Greaves on a partial breakaway to end the game.
Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe recorded a goal and an assist, while Mason McTavish scored a goal to reach his 100th career point.
John Gibson made 39 saves for the Ducks, who ended a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season.
Earlier on Saturday, Anaheim traded veteran Cam Fowler and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a second-round pick and defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka.
For the Blue Jackets, Kirill Marchenko and Cole Sillinger scored 34 seconds apart late in the first period. Jet Greaves made 23 saves. Columbus has lost six of their last seven games (1-4-2).
Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski assisted on Marchenko’s power-play goal, extending his home point streak to nine games. This ties him with Ryan Johansen (2014-15) for the fourth longest in franchise history, just one game short of Oliver Bjorkstrand (2021-22), Cam Atkinson (2016-17), and Andrew Cassels (2002-03).
Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Dmitri Voronkov seemed to give Columbus a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal late in the second period, but the goal was ruled offside after Anaheim challenged it successfully, with Marchenko controlling the puck at the blue line.
Columbus took a 3-2 lead with 8:35 remaining in the third period after Damon Severson’s slap pass found James van Riemsdyk at the back post. However, the Ducks equalized with 2:46 left as LaCombe’s shot deflected past Greaves.
McTavish put the Ducks on the board with 3:27 remaining in the first period, crashing into Greaves after shooting the puck.
Anaheim’s lead lasted only 36 seconds, as Marchenko fired a shot from the slot to score on the power play. It was his 11th goal of the season and his first since Dec. 1.
Just 34 seconds later, Columbus took a 2-1 lead as Zach Aston-Reese’s pass found Sillinger in front for a quick goal. Killorn then tied the game at 13:56 of the second period after receiving a backdoor pass from LaCombe.
The St. Louis Blues traded for veteran defenseman Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
Along with Fowler, the Blues received a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. In exchange, they gave the Ducks a second-round pick in that same draft and defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka.
The Ducks will keep 38.5 percent of Fowler’s remaining contract. His contract has an average annual value of $6.5 million and will end after the 2025-26 season.
Fowler, 33, is the longest-serving active player on the Ducks. He was drafted by the team with the 12th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. For the past five seasons, he has served as an assistant captain at times.
“This was a difficult trade to make considering what Cam has meant to this organization,” said Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. “He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with ultimate class.
Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks
His character and contributions on and off the ice have and will continue to leave a positive impact on our fans and community. After meeting with Cam several times over the last few months, it became clear to both of us it may be time for a change.
As usual, Cam handled the process with professionalism and remained committed to the Ducks. Cam and his family deserve nothing but the best going forward, and we wish them the best of luck.”
Fowler has four assists in 17 games this season and 457 points (96 goals, 361 assists) in 991 career games with Anaheim.
Biakabutuka, 22, signed a three-year entry-level contract with St. Louis in July 2023. He has played in five career games with Springfield and Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.
On Saturday, St. Louis also assigned defenseman Matthew Kessel to Springfield. Kessel, 24, has three assists in 26 games this season for the Blues.
Two teams at the bottom of their division will try to start improving on Saturday when the Anaheim Ducks face the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Anaheim has struggled, scoring only seven goals during a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
Columbus hasn’t had much more success, with only 13 goals in their last six games (1-4-1).
In Anaheim’s 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, defenseman Jackson LaCombe recorded a goal and an assist.
Despite the loss, Anaheim head coach Greg Cronin saw some positives in his team’s effort.
“We skated more (Thursday),” Cronin said, comparing it to their 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
“Ottawa was skating 100 miles an hour, and we were skating about 60, and I thought (Thursday) we had a lot of pace and urgency. You worry about getting in late at night and some energy starts to drop. At the start of the third period, we lost a little bit of our energy but we brought it back midway through the third. It was unfortunate we couldn’t get a point.”
Anaheim won their last game against Columbus 4-2 at home on November 10. LaCombe also scored in that game, and Trevor Zegras had a season-high 22:05 of ice time.
Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks
However, Zegras will not be playing in the rematch after having surgery on Thursday to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee. He is expected to miss about six weeks.
For Columbus, Zach Werenski scored a power-play goal in his second straight game on Thursday, but the Blue Jackets lost 2-1 in overtime to the Washington Capitals.
Werenski became the first defenseman in franchise history to score 100 goals.
“It doesn’t really mean much, but it is cool for sure,” Werenski said. “When you look back at your career, as a defenseman … I don’t want to stop there, but it’s a milestone for sure. It’s a cool moment.”
His power-play goal in the second period on Thursday extended his home point streak to eight games.
Kent Johnson assisted on Werenski’s goal, extending his point streak to three games (three goals, two assists).
Like Anaheim, Columbus is also looking for positives and found one in Jet Greaves. Greaves made 35 saves in his season debut after being called up from AHL Cleveland.
“I think there are a lot of positives I’ll take going forward and also some things I’ll look at try to learn from and get better at moving forward,” Greaves said. “I felt comfortable. The guys did a good job in front of me, and that made the game a little bit simpler.”
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason also praised the 23-year-old goaltender.
“Fantastic. Obviously, it’s a team game but I’d argue he won a point for us,” Evason said. “For us to get a point in that game is fortunate.”
Max Pacioretty scored two goals and added an assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Thursday night.
William Nylander also scored, and John Tavares recorded two assists for the Maple Leafs, who won their second consecutive game.
Toronto’s goalie Anthony Stolarz played only the first period due to a lower-body injury, making seven saves on eight shots. Joseph Woll replaced him in the second period and stopped 19 shots.
For the Ducks, Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist, while Frank Vatrano scored, and Ryan Strome added two assists. Lukas Dostal made 30 saves for Anaheim, which lost its fifth straight game. The Ducks were playing their third game in four nights.
Toronto led 2-1 after the first period. Pacioretty scored at 6:57 with a backhand, thanks to a clever pass from Tavares. At 14:17, Nylander scored his 18th goal of the season after Pacioretty passed him the puck.
Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Vatrano tied it up for Anaheim on a power play at 15:56 with a shot through traffic that hit the post. LaCombe made the assist from the left point, with Simon Benoit in the penalty box for holding.
Pacioretty then gave Toronto a 3-1 lead at 12:54 of the second period by tipping in Conor Timmins’ point shot. LaCombe responded just over a minute later, scoring from the slot on a pass from Strome.
In the third period, Toronto’s Auston Matthews hit the post with a shot at 9:25, and Anaheim’s Alex Killorn missed an opportunity from close range at 11:41.
The Ducks didn’t pull Dostal for an extra attacker until the final minute of the game.
Jake McCabe, who had missed five games due to an upper-body injury, returned for Toronto and had one assist. Anaheim also activated Robby Fabbri, who had been out for 13 games with a knee injury. Fabbri did not score in his return, and Sam Colangelo was sent to the AHL.
The Toronto Maple Leafs know they were lucky to win on Tuesday, thanks to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, and they plan to improve when they play the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Stolarz made 38 saves against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, and captain Auston Matthews scored in overtime to give Toronto a 2-1 win. The result didn’t really match how the game went. New Jersey had 16 shots to Toronto’s one in the first period and ended up with 39 shots to 17 for the game.
The Devils only scored once, in the second period, while Toronto tied the game in the third with a short-handed goal by Pontus Holmberg.
“It was a great goal for us,” said Toronto coach Craig Berube about Holmberg’s goal. “We had more chances short-handed than we did five-on-five and the power play tonight. I mean, our short-handed chances were good. I thought we created some opportunities there, and that was a big goal.”
Stolarz, who grew up in Edison, N.J., said, “I grew up a Devils fan so anytime you can beat your childhood team, it’s exciting.”
“Without (Stolarz), it’s not even close,” said Toronto defenseman Chris Tanev, who had an assist and five blocked shots. “So, big props to him. Better third (period) for us. But the first two were god-awful. So, thankfully, he made a key number of saves that allowed us to keep it 1-0.”
Toronto avoided a three-game losing streak when Matthews scored his 13th career overtime goal, which is one short of Mats Sundin’s franchise record.
“In the first five minutes of the game, they had seven shots, so I think when a team is going to pepper you pretty early on and kind of get you in a groove, it’s kind of up to you to stay in there and just keep battling,” Stolarz said.
Berube wasn’t worried about how the win came.
Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
“It’s one of those games,” Berube said. “I mean, I’m not really going to read too much into it. I’m not going to talk about it too much. Our goalie was excellent. We found a way to get two points. That’s all that matters.”
The Ducks are struggling, with a 0-3-1 record in their last four games after losing 5-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, their second game of a four-game road trip.
Cutter Gauthier scored for the Ducks, and John Gibson made 29 saves. Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson (upper-body injury) returned on Wednesday after missing six games.
“Leo is a dynamic player,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “He’s got the size and the length and the skill. Anytime you get somebody back in the lineup like that, it’s going to add some offense to our team. And we’ve obviously struggled this year with the offensive part of the game, so I think that will give us a good boost.”
Carlsson, who has six goals and five assists in 21 games this season, played 13:35 against the Senators but didn’t have any shots on goal.
“We weren’t skating,” Cronin said. “I mean, they were jumping from the opening faceoff, they won faceoff battles, they won edge battles, they won puck battles. It’s hard to compete when you’re behind the puck.”
Toronto’s Max Domi (lower-body injury) returned on Tuesday after missing eight games. He had two shots on goal in 14:57 of ice time.
The Maple Leafs are 12-4-0 at home, with five wins in their last six games in Toronto. The Ducks are 5-4-3 on the road, and the current 0-1-1 start to the trip came after a 4-0-1 stretch away from home.
Drake Batherson scored three goals in a row and added an assist as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 on Wednesday night.
Brady Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, Noah Gregor also scored, and Linus Ullmark made 31 saves for the Senators, who have won three of their last four games.
Cutter Gauthier scored, and John Gibson made 29 saves for the Ducks, who have lost four straight games (0-3-1).
For the second consecutive game, the Ducks gave up a goal in the first three minutes.
Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler blocked a shot from Nick Jensen above the right circle, but Gregor was there to put the rebound into the net for a 1-0 lead at 2:55.
Later in the first period, Anaheim took two minor penalties just five seconds apart, and Ottawa capitalized on the 5-on-3 power play to go ahead 2-0 at 11:15. Batherson celebrated after Gibson covered the puck in the crease, but the goal wasn’t confirmed until a video review showed the puck had crossed the goal line beneath Gibson.
Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Batherson scored his second goal on another power play. He tried to pass to Tim Stutzle, but the puck hit Fowler’s skate and deflected into Anaheim’s net to give Ottawa a 3-0 lead at 18:25 of the second period.
Batherson completed his natural hat trick when his shot from the point hit Fowler’s stick and went into the net, making it 4-0 at 10:30 of the second period.
Batherson became the first Ottawa player to score three straight goals in a game since Tkachuk did so on December 11, 2021, in a 4-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tkachuk scored the third power-play goal of the game with a redirection from close range, putting Ottawa ahead 5-0 at 8:58 of the third period.
Ottawa went 3-for-5 on the power play.
Ullmark was denied his second shutout of the season and the 10th of his NHL career when Gauthier scored on a tip-in at 12:42.
Anaheim center Leo Carlsson returned after missing six games due to an upper-body injury. He didn’t record a shot on goal in 13:35 of ice time while centering the second line.
Patrik Laine had a goal and an assist in regulation, and the Montreal Canadiens won 3-2 in a shootout against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Kirby Dach also scored, while Sam Montembeault made 27 saves, including four in overtime. The Canadiens improved to 3-1-0 on their five-game homestand.
Troy Terry scored both goals for Anaheim, and Lukas Dostal made 19 saves for the Ducks, who have lost six of their last eight games (2-4-2). This was the first game of their four-game road trip.
In the shootout, Laine and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal, while Terry and Mason McTavish missed for Anaheim.
The Canadiens took an early lead with a power-play goal when Jansen Harkins was called for slashing Dach. Laine scored on a one-timer from the left circle just 12 seconds into the power play at 2:36 of the first period.
It was Laine’s third goal in four games since returning from a knee injury sustained in the preseason.
Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens
Lane Hutson assisted on the goal, extending his point streak to seven games, the longest by a rookie defenseman in team history.
The Ducks tied the game at 1-1 at 10:49 of the first period. Montembeault saved a shot by Cam Fowler, but the rebound came out to the slot, where Terry backhanded the puck into the net.
In the second period, Montreal took back-to-back minor penalties, and Terry scored again on the second power play. He redirected a pass from Alex Killorn from just in front of the crease to give Anaheim a 2-1 lead at 4:25.
However, Montreal responded just 11 seconds later. Dostal mishandled the puck behind his net, and Juraj Slafkovsky quickly passed it out front to Dach, who scored into the open net to tie the game 2-2 and end his 19-game goal-less streak.
The Ducks outshot Montreal 4-0 in overtime.
Jacob Trouba made his debut for Anaheim, having been traded from the New York Rangers just three days earlier. The 30-year-old defenseman had five hits in 22:35 of ice time.
Jacob Trouba is expected to make his debut for the Anaheim Ducks when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night to start a four-game road trip.
The 30-year-old defenseman and captain of the New York Rangers was traded to the Ducks on Friday after the Rangers told him they would either trade him or put him on waivers because of his poor performance this season and the team’s difficulties.
Trouba is familiar with the Ducks, having played for three seasons alongside Ryan Strome in New York, and he’s been friends with Frank Vatrano since high school, even rooming together for part of a season in New York.
“I know from talking to him, we are going to have a really highly motivated individual with a little bit of a weight off his shoulders that is excited to play and wanted to play in Anaheim,” Strome said. “So, I think those are all positives and things that can jumpstart our group going forward, and I think we are all excited to have him.”
Strome said Trouba will bring a lot to Anaheim, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018 and is currently last in the Pacific Division. Before joining the Rangers, Trouba played six seasons with the Winnipeg Jets.
“I think anytime you bring a guy in that’s played in the Canadian market, an Original Six market and a captain (who’s) been in a lot of playoff series and really good teams, I think it helps,” Strome said. “Not only that too, I think a big body, just to lean on some guys and be hard to play against.”
Jacob Trouba (Photo: NHL)
Trouba also shoots right-handed, which is something the Ducks have been lacking on defense.
Anaheim had a strong 10-game stretch recently, going 6-3-1, and Ducks coach Greg Cronin said the difference in those games was the team skated harder and played more physically. He believes Trouba will add to that physicality.
“Jacob Trouba represents that, the physicality, the identity that you have to play with,” Cronin said. “He’s a guy that can step up on the forecheck and stop plays and kill plays in the defensive zone. He’s got a heck of a shot and having another right shot back there will help us keep pucks alive in the cycle.”
The Canadiens were hoping to win three in a row for the first time this season but lost 4-2 to the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Montreal took a 2-1 lead into the third period but allowed three straight goals in the final frame.
Making the loss even worse, the Canadiens had four breakaways in the third while the game was still tied but couldn’t score on any of them.
“It’s a tough one to swallow right now,” Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said.
Lane Hutson had an assist against the Capitals, becoming just the second rookie defenseman in Canadiens history to record a point in six straight games.
“I guess it’s pretty cool, but it’s more about wins and losses,” Hutson said. “We’ve struggled with that, and we want to find some consistency and win some hockey games.”
Marco Rossi scored two goals and added an assist as the Minnesota Wild stretched their winning streak to a season-high five games with a 5-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy each scored a goal and recorded two assists, and Yakov Trenin also scored for the Wild, who improved to 17-1-0 in their last 18 games against the Ducks and 12-2-0 in their last 14 visits to Anaheim.
Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for his fifth career win over the Ducks (5-1-0).
Brock McGinn scored for Anaheim, which has lost three of its last four games (1-3-0).
John Gibson stopped 28 shots but dropped to 0-5-3 in his last eight starts against the Wild.
Rossi opened the scoring on a power play at 4:22 of the second period, redirecting a pass from Kaprizov past Gibson for his eighth goal of the season.
The Wild made it 2-0 when Rossi scored off the rebound of Boldy’s point shot at 8:03 of the second, giving him his ninth goal of the season.
Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Boldy completed a passing play with Kaprizov and Rossi for his 12th goal of the season at 10:51, putting Minnesota ahead 3-0.
Rossi has points in four straight games (three goals, three assists).
The Wild extended their lead to 4-0 at 1:21 of the third period when Kaprizov scored on the rebound of Boldy’s point shot for his team-leading 17th goal.
Kaprizov, who has three goals and three assists in two games against the Ducks this season, has points in five straight games (four goals, four assists).
Anaheim got on the scoreboard at 16:37 of the third when McGinn, recently activated from injured reserve, redirected a Cam Fowler shot past Gustavsson for his fourth goal of the season.
Trenin scored his first goal of the season with a short-handed empty-netter at 18:43 of the third.
Before the game, Ducks forward Trevor Zegras was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury he suffered in Wednesday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
On Friday afternoon, Anaheim traded for defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2025.
Jacob Trouba is finally leaving New York after months of public trade rumors and private pressure from the Rangers, who were determined to move on from their captain and his large contract.
Trouba wasn’t happy with how he was pushed out, but he is glad to join the Anaheim Ducks.
“It’s a rite of passage to get fired from MSG,” Trouba said Friday after the Ducks traded defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025 for the veteran defenseman.
The trade ends Trouba’s five-year run with the Rangers. He had been involved in trade rumors for months, and he admitted that the uncertainty affected his play this fall.
“Don’t like that it was made public necessarily, but I guess that’s New York and how it happens,” Trouba said. “Made it kind of hard to play, but I’m excited to move forward. In my opinion, things could have been handled better. Not blaming anybody or anything, but it was just kind of an unfortunate end to my time in New York.”
Josh Anderson and Josh Trouba in the 1st period
Rangers general manager Chris Drury has made no secret of his desire to revamp the roster since the summer, and Trouba is in the sixth year of a seven-year, $56 million contract. His expensive deal was a barrier to the changes New York wanted to make, and Trouba also had a strong no-trade clause.
In a conference call set up by the Ducks to introduce their new defenseman, Trouba confirmed the long-rumored details of his time in New York, including his decision to block a trade — reportedly to Detroit — last summer. He did this to stay with his wife, Kelly, who is completing her three-year medical residency at a hospital in New York.
“I’ll be honest, I was put in a position this summer to make a decision between my career and my family, and I chose my family,” Trouba said. “I would choose my family 100 times over again.”
Trouba also confirmed that the Rangers told him this week to accept a trade or risk being scratched. He also mentioned that he was informed he would eventually be placed on waivers, which would have taken away his ability to choose where he went.
“Yesterday morning was, ‘Accept this trade or we’re scratching you,’” Trouba said. “Got to the place where I felt comfortable with Anaheim, and that was the place I wanted to go.”
Trouba said his wife is also excited about moving to Southern California, calling it “a great opportunity for her long-term as well.” Trouba will join the last-place Ducks in Montreal on Monday for the start of a four-game trip.
“It’s a team that’s kind of right on the cusp of taking the next step and being really great, I think,” he added. “I can come in there and make an impact in a positive way. It’s just a city I was very excited about coming into.”
New York Rangers (NHL)
Trouba joined the Rangers in a trade with Winnipeg in 2019 and became New York’s captain before the 2022-23 season.
Trouba has been considered one of the NHL’s best checking defensemen when at his best. He has six assists in 23 games this season but has struggled to produce offensively like he did in his best years, including a career-high 50 points with the Jets in 2018-19.
“I can tell you — and I said this to him — I thought while he was here and during our time here he was a really good player and a really good teammate. A good person,” said New York coach Peter Laviolette after Friday night’s 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. “I thought he worked hard and tried to set a good example for the New York Rangers.”
The Ducks can handle the remaining 1 1/2 years of Trouba’s contract because they have one of the NHL’s lowest payrolls and plenty of salary cap space after general manager Pat Verbeek couldn’t sign any top free agents last summer.
Trouba will immediately become an important player on the Ducks’ defense, who are currently in last place in the Pacific Division. He will also play alongside Anaheim forwards Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano, who were his teammates with the Rangers during their 2022 Eastern Conference finals run.
“I think he’s got some underrated offensive skills that probably hasn’t shown in the last year or so,” Verbeek said. “It gives our team a lot more rigid, physical play to the rest of our group, and for me, I’m trying to make this team better.
Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken
That is part of how I want us to play. I want us to be really tough to play against, and he certainly adds that element to our group.”
The Ducks’ defense includes captain Radko Gudas, veteran Cam Fowler, free agent signing Brian Dumoulin, and promising young players Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Jackson LaCombe.
The rebuilding Ducks are still not a strong team on offense or defense after six seasons without making the playoffs, but they have shown improvement defensively this year, allowing 2.96 goals per game after giving up 3.57 last season.
Vaakanainen, who hasn’t played since November 13 due to an upper-body injury, was included in the trade. He played 68 games and scored one goal for the Ducks last season but has struggled with injuries throughout his career with Boston and Anaheim.
Shea Theodore scored two goals against his former team to help the visiting Vegas Golden Knights beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Wednesday.
William Karlsson, who also began his NHL career with the Ducks, and Alexander Holtz also scored for Vegas. Victor Olofsson, Jack Eichel, and Tomas Hertl each had two assists. The Golden Knights, who lead the Pacific Division, have now won 6 of their last 8 games and all three games against Anaheim this season.
Ilya Samsonov, the Golden Knights’ goaltender, made 19 saves. Anaheim’s goalie, John Gibson, stopped 30 shots.
Jackson LaCombe scored the Ducks’ only goal, but Anaheim has struggled recently, losing two of their last three games and only winning twice in their last six.
Karlsson, who was named to Sweden’s Four Nations team earlier that day, scored his first goal in nine games at 16:26 of the first period. He took advantage of a loose puck during a scramble and scored his fifth goal of the season.
Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club
Theodore, who was also named to Canada’s squad along with injured forward Mark Stone, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, and goalie Adin Hill, made it 2-0 for Vegas at 6:38 of the second period. Theodore scored after following an odd-man rush and tapping in a rebound following a sprawling save by Gibson.
LaCombe scored late in the second period to put Anaheim on the board with a long shot that beat a screened Samsonov.
Holtz made it 3-1 for Vegas in the third period with a goal at 3:05. He finished off a well-executed give-and-go with Tanner Pearson during a two-on-one break.
Theodore sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:16 of the third period, his third of the season.
The loss was even more frustrating for the Ducks as forward Trevor Zegras had to leave the game early in the second period after an accidental collision with Karlsson. Zegras appeared to injure his right leg when their skates locked.
