Troy Terry notched his 18th goal of the season, and Derek Grant added a short-handed goal as the Anaheim Ducks secured a 4-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night. This victory marks the Ducks’ fourth in their last five games.
Trevor Zegras and Sam Carrick also found the back of the net for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who dominated the Kraken in their first appearance in Southern California. Anthony Stolarz made 19 saves for Anaheim, which has now scored 11 goals against Seattle in two meetings this season.
Despite their strong start to the season, the Ducks remain mindful of the importance of consistent effort, especially against lower-ranked teams.
“We’ve learned our lessons,” said Ducks coach Dallas Eakins. “We’ve been in tough spots before and take no one lightly.”
Ryan Donato scored a power-play goal for Seattle, which has lost four of its last five games. Philipp Grubauer made 15 saves through the first two periods before being replaced by Chris Driedger. The Kraken, who had won at San Jose on Tuesday, finished their two-game California road trip with a loss.
“Early on, we gave them a 2-on-1, and then we made a mistake on the power play, and it’s 2-0,” said Seattle’s Jordan Eberle, who assisted Donato’s goal. “It was close until we gave them freebies, and the game slipped away. … We made too many mistakes against a good offensive team. You can’t do that and expect to come back.”
Anaheim extended its point streak to eight of its last nine games and widened its lead over Calgary atop the division to three points. The Ducks’ success this season contrasts sharply with their previous three seasons when they missed the playoffs. Anaheim’s strong special teams play, including goals from its power play and penalty kill, has been a key factor in its resurgence.
“For us, it’s about the progress we make daily,” said Grant, who scored his second goal in 28 games this season. “We believed in ourselves from Day One, and we’re enjoying our progress.”
Stolarz was solid in his first back-to-back starts of the season, filling in for the injured John Gibson. Stolarz remains undefeated in six starts since October.
Zegras opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game with a wrist shot that beat Grubauer through traffic, marking his seventh goal of the season. Grant followed up with a short-handed, unassisted goal during a Seattle power play, giving Anaheim their third short-handed goal of the season.
Terry extended Anaheim’s lead early in the second period with a power-play goal from the slot, placing him fourth in the NHL for goals this season. His 18 goals in the first 30 games of the season put him in elite company with Anaheim legends like Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry, and Paul Kariya.
Donato pulled one back for Seattle late in the second period with a power-play goal assisted by Eberle, marking his second consecutive game with a goal.
Carrick added a fourth goal for the Ducks early in the third period with a sharp-angle shot from below the goal line, effectively sealing Anaheim’s 10th home win in 16 games this season.
“It’s been fun, and we’re a pretty confident group right now,” Carrick said. “We know what we’ve got, and we know what our expectations are.”
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
- Ducks: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
