Anaheim Rallies Past Utah 4-1, Claims Season Series Victory

The Anaheim Ducks overcame an early deficit to defeat the Utah Mammoth 4-1 on Friday night. Alex Killorn led the way with three points while the Ducks won the season series against Utah.

The Anaheim Ducks mounted an impressive comeback Friday night, erasing an early deficit to beat the Utah Mammoth 4-1 and claim the season series between the two teams.

Alex Killorn powered the Ducks’ offensive attack with one goal and two assists, while Ryan Poehling contributed a goal and an assist in the victory. Goaltender Lukas Dostal was stellar between the pipes, turning away 29 shots for Anaheim (38-27-4, 80 points).

The win marks the second victory in three games for the Ducks, who have now captured five of their past nine contests. Anaheim also secured a 2-1 advantage over Utah in their three-game season series.

Utah (36-28-6, 78 points) entered the contest riding high after shutting out the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 on Thursday. Dylan Guenther provided the Mammoth’s only scoring, while Vitek Vanecek stopped 19 shots in the losing effort.

The Mammoth struck first when Guenther found the back of the net just 1:48 into the opening frame. Sean Durzi delivered a perfect cross-ice feed, setting up Guenther for a one-knee slap shot that beat Dostal.

Utah dominated the early action, outshooting Anaheim 14-5 in the first period. The Ducks didn’t register their initial shot attempt until 11:53 had elapsed.

Poehling brought the visitors level at 13:37 of the first period, capitalizing on a penalty kill breakaway opportunity with a precise wrist shot that found its mark.

The Ducks seized control in the middle frame when Killorn connected on a snap shot at 9:09, giving Anaheim a 2-1 advantage they would not relinquish.

Cutter Gauthier sealed the victory with an empty-net tally with 1:36 remaining in regulation. Mikael Granlund added the final exclamation point, converting a Poehling setup into the vacant net with 55 seconds left on the clock.