Ducks can’t keep up in third period vs. champs

DUCKS

Florida’s Niko Mikkola, right, deflects a shot by the Ducks’ Leo Carlsson (91) in front of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky during the first period of Tuesday night’s game at Honda Center in Anaheim. Jessie Alcheh / the associated press

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By Andrew Knoll

Correspondent

ANAHEIM — The Ducks matched the defending champions stride-for-stride through two periods at Honda Center on Tuesday night but were tucked away summarily in the third as the Florida Panthers prevailed, 5-2, after winning by an identical three-goal margin in Saturday’s shutout of the Ducks in Florida.

Opening-salvo goals by the Ducks’ Frank Vatrano and Mason McTavish set up a vigorous effort in the middle frame for the hosts, but their fancy-stat dominance didn’t translate to the scoreboard. Two goals in the opening five minutes of a lackluster third period condemned the Ducks to a defeat in which Lukáš Dostál turned in an off night, making 24 of 29 saves. Trevor Zegras returned after missing six weeks (knee), registering four shots on goal.

Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Uvis Balinskis each tallied for Florida. Verhaeghe added an assist while Mackie Samoskevich and Tomáš Nosek contributed two helpers apiece. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots.

Just 19 seconds into the third period, Florida reestablished its two-goal lead off the forecheck when Bennett went skate-to-blade to control a pass in the slot before rifling a shot through traffic. The Panthers extended their edge to 5-2 less than four minutes later behind another strong forecheck and Balinskis’ wrister from well above the hash marks, a seeing-eye shot through a goalie whose vision was limited by a heap of bodies.

The two teams combined for a whopping 79 shots on goal Saturday.

Territorially and analytically, the Ducks ruled, garnering what Natural Stat Trick scored as 82% of the expected goals in the stanza, but no expectations were realized in a scoreless 20 minutes.

Yet there were as many goals scored, three, in 75 seconds near the end of the first period than the two teams combined for in a full hour of Saturday’s action, when Florida prevailed 3-0.

McTavish halved the Ducks’ deficit before the intermission with a short-side snipe. It finished a two-on-one rush between him and Cutter Gauthier that was keyed by captain Radko Gudas, who spent three seasons with the Panthers before signing as a free agent before last season. Gudas earned the lone assist on McTavish’s seventh goal this season.