Leo Carlsson scores in OT as Ducks edge Utah to win 9th straight home opener – Daily News

Leo Carlsson scores in OT as Ducks edge Utah to win 9th straight home opener – Daily News

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Ducks players and fans celebrate after Leo Carlsson scored the game-winning overtime goal during their home opener against the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday night at the Honda Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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ANAHEIM — The Ducks turned in an exhilarating home opener that featured five lead changes as they triumphed over Utah HC, 5-4, in overtime on Wednesday night at Honda Center.

The second line sparkled, a pair of new additions registered their first points as Ducks and a young defenseman spearheaded the attack for the host before Leo Carlsson, who also had an assist, won the game 54 seconds into overtime with a Herculean shift.

“It was the Leo Carlsson show in overtime. He’s just a special player when he gets going, and he’s a lot of fun to watch,” forward Trevor Zegras said.

Pavel Mintyukov scored twice in his first career multi-goal game. Robby Fabbri and Troy Terry each scored a goal, with Mason McTavish chipping in two assists as the Ducks won their ninth consecutive home opener. Lukáš Dostál repelled 26 shots.

Jack McBain, Barrett Hayton, Michael Kesselring and Clayton Keller all scored for Utah. McBain added an assist while Nick Schmaltz contributed two. Connor Ingram had 29 saves.

It was a long day of festivities at the arena, where a sellout crowd helped buoy the Ducks in a back-and-forth affair.

“It was amazing. Our fans are awesome. We got to do the orange carpet when we walked in, and felt the excitement. We felt the love from the fans the whole night,” Zegras said. “Another reason we felt so good down a goal was that the fans were keeping us in it the whole night.”

Carlsson dominated his shift in overtime, settling the puck and nearly setting up the winner, then recovering it on the forecheck to glide into the slot for a silky forehand-to-backhand-to-forehand goal, unassisted, for the decisive goal.

With 5:05 showing on the regulation clock, the Ducks made it a new game as Mintyukov’s second goal of the night entered the net after his sharp-angle, close-range bid handcuffed Ingram. It struck him at least twice before slipping behind him.

Utah earned its second advantage of the night with 9:10 to play in the game when Schmaltz set up Utah’s captain, Keller, for a backhand goal. Earlier in the period, Schmaltz delivered a high hit to Isac Lundeström that sent him back to the dressing room for attention.

Five-and-a-half minutes earlier, an issue from early in last season reared its head again when after a stretched-out Ducks power play that included some two-man advantage time and a hit post, a sloppy line change led to a three-on-two rush that culminated in Schmaltz feeding Kesselring for tying goal from the high slot.

“They score shortly after [the power play] and it’s even, that’s one of those deflating goals, then they score again a couple minutes later,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “It’s a huge character win, there’s a lot of teams who would have folded at that point.”

The Ducks had reclaimed the lead in similar fashion, by scoring both of the second period’s goals.

Fabbri and McTavish, who factored into both goals, went to work with Fabbri initiating a battle that McTavish won, working along the wall and switching positions with Mintyukov. McTavish dished to Brian Dumoulin, who found Mintyukov at the left faceoff dot from a searing shot with 3:08 left in the period.

“He’s a great offensive defenseman, he’s joining the rush a lot, which is great,” Carlsson said of Mintyukov, who credited Dumoulin’s poise on breakouts with giving him freedom to roam.

Dumoulin’s assist was his first point as a Duck and another arrival via trade in July, Fabbri, picked up his own first point in orange when he netted the equalizer 8:06 into the middle period.

After McTavish’s initial foray to the goal crease was disrupted by contact from defenseman Ian Cole, McTavish and Zegras played catch below the goal line before Zegras slipped a pass between Cole’s legs and past winger Lawson Crouse that found Fabbri in front. He went from forehand to backhand and lifted the puck over Ingram to knot the score at two and give Zegras his 100th career assist.

Wednesday’s opening salvo was played at a break-neck pace and while the Ducks narrowly out-shot Utah, they trailed 2-1 after a pair of unanswered goals by the visitors.

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