VANCOUVER, Canada—The Anaheim Ducks played the Stanley Cup playoff-bound Vancouver Canucks on even terms deep into the third period Sunday, March 31, only to falter late in a 3–2 defeat.
The Canucks, who had clinched a playoff berth a day earlier, received two goals, including the game-winner, from Dakota Joshua, a power-play strike from Brock Boeser, and two assists from J.T. Miller.
The Ducks, losers of five consecutive games, got third-period tallies from Olen Zellweger, the first of the rookie defenseman’s NHL career, and Mason McTavish, but Vancouver goaltender Arturs Silovs registered 20 saves in his first NHL action since March 6, 2023.
Lukas Dostal stopped 27 of 30 shots for the Ducks, who were coming off a 6–1 loss Saturday at Edmonton.
“I thought overall we put some pressure on them. I thought the whole game was pretty competitive from us,” said Zellweger, who had his parents in the stands. “Not where we wanted at the end, but I’m sure we’ll continue to build on our effort and competitiveness here.”
The Canucks remain atop the Pacific Division standings, six points up on the Oilers. Vancouver was idle Saturday when it clinched its first playoff spot since 2020.
Earning a spot in the post-season is only part of the team’s plan, Miller said.
“We need to focus on the next game more importantly right now and not look ahead because, if we play like we did tonight, we’re going to lose most games,” he said. “So, we need to make sure that we’re focused on the present, not worried about [playoffs].”
After giving up two third-period goals, the Canucks smothered the Ducks through the second half of the final period.
Conor Garland set up the game-winning strike with 2:13 left, sending a blind backhanded pass to Joshua from the end boards. The big winger fired it in past Dostal for his second goal of the afternoon to put Vancouver up 3–2.
Ducks Coach Greg Cronin called the result “a shame.”
“We get a power play with five minutes to go in the game, and we don’t get a shot on net,“ he said. ”You get some good fortune there, and we don’t capitalize on that, and then it’s a cardinal sin—you don’t leave the front of the net when the puck is behind your net. You just can’t give those goals up, and it just cost us the game.”
Anaheim got a prime opportunity to score the game-winner when Noah Juulsen was called for tripping 14:09 into the third period. The Canucks killed off the penalty without the Ducks registering a single shot on goal.
Vancouver was 2 for 4 on the power play, while Anaheim went 0 for 4 with the man advantage.
Zellweger beat Silovs 3:37 into the final period, sending a shot over the netminder’s glove from the bottom of the left faceoff circle.
Just more than a minute later, Gustav Lindstrom tried to wrap a shot around the Vancouver net and an unchecked McTavish was there to pick up the puck. The Ducks center slammed a wrist shot in behind Silovs to knot the score at 2.
Sunday wrapped a nine-game homestand that saw the Canucks go 5–3–1. Vancouver boasts a 25–9–4 record at Rogers Arena.
Up Next
Ducks: Take on the Flames in Calgary on Tuesday.Canucks: Visit the Golden Knights in Vegas on Tuesday to begin a three-game road trip.
