A Late Surge Overcomes Early Deficit
The Ottawa Senators entered the third period leading 3-0, but the Anaheim Ducks mounted a decisive comeback to secure a 6-3 victory at Honda Center. Cutter Gauthier was the central figure in the shift, scoring three times to turn the tide against the visiting Senators.
The home team, playing before a crowd of 17,174, overcame a significant early disadvantage to improve their standing in the standings.
Senators Build a Three-Goal Lead
Ottawa dominated the first twenty minutes, establishing a commanding advantage before the Ducks could find their rhythm. Philip Tomasino opened the scoring with a snap shot, assisted by Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson. Claude Giroux added a second goal for the Senators, also via snap shot, with assists from Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.
Michael Amadio extended the lead to 3-0 on a snap shot, assisted by Giroux and Sanderson. The Senators’ offensive pressure in the opening frame set a high bar for the remainder of the contest.
Gauthier Drives the Comeback
The momentum shifted in the second period when Gauthier scored his first goal of the game with a wrist shot. Judd Caulfield responded for Ottawa with two consecutive goals, narrowing the gap to 3-3. The first was a wrist shot assisted by Noah Warren and Leo Carlsson, while the second was a tip-in assisted by Tristan Luneau and Nikita Nesterenko.
In the third period, Gauthier took over completely. He scored his second goal with a wrist shot, assisted by Jackson LaCombe and Leo Carlsson. He followed with his third goal, a snap shot assisted by Carlsson and Mikael Granlund, to put Anaheim ahead 5-3.
Roger McQueen sealed the win with a snap shot, assisted by Caulfield and Luneau.
Final Records and Statistics
Cutter Gauthier finished with three goals and three points, while Leo Carlsson recorded three assists for the Ducks. For Ottawa, Claude Giroux contributed one goal and two points, and Jake Sanderson recorded two assists. The Ducks improve to a 6-7-1 record with 13 points, while the Senators stand at 9-6-1 with 19 points.
Sources
ESPN
