Ducks Coach Quenneville Reaches Historic 1,000 NHL Wins in Wild Comeback Victory

Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville became just the second NHL coach ever to reach 1,000 career wins during a thrilling 6-5 comeback victory over Edmonton. The milestone achievement puts Quenneville alongside legendary coach Scotty Bowman in the exclusive 1,000-win club.

Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville made NHL history Wednesday night, becoming only the second coach ever to reach 1,000 career victories as his team staged a dramatic 6-5 comeback win against the Edmonton Oilers in the league’s first action following the Olympic break.

With just 1:14 remaining on the clock, Cutter Gauthier netted the game-winning goal to cap off the incredible rally and secure Quenneville’s milestone victory. The achievement places him in exclusive company with Scotty Bowman, who holds the record with 1,244 wins, as the only coaches to reach the 1,000-victory plateau.

Leo Carlsson led Anaheim’s offensive charge with a goal and three total points, helping propel the Ducks to their third straight victory. The win also moved Anaheim ahead of Edmonton into second place in the Pacific Division standings.

Additional scoring for the Ducks came from Ian Moore, Alex Killorn, Olen Zellweger, and Beckett Sennecke, while goaltender Lukas Dostal turned away 22 shots. The victory extended Anaheim’s impressive recent run to 10 wins in their last 12 contests.

Edmonton’s Matt Savoie recorded a goal and three points in the losing effort, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard each contributed a goal and an assist. Jack Roslovic and Zach Hyman also found the back of the net for the Oilers, who have now dropped four consecutive games.

Lightning 4, Maple Leafs 2

Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov reached a significant career milestone, recording his 700th and 701st assists while adding a goal in the Lightning’s victory over visiting Toronto. Kucherov becomes the 64th NHL player to achieve 700 career assists and joins Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin as the third Russian-born player to reach that mark.

Brayden Point contributed two goals and an assist, while Gage Goncalves added a goal and two helpers for Tampa Bay. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots as the Lightning extended their winning streak to six games.

Toronto received a goal and assist from Matthew Knies, with John Tavares also scoring and William Nylander providing two assists. Anthony Stolarz made 32 saves in the defeat.

Jets 3, Canucks 2 (OT)

Cole Perfetti ended the extra session just 1:37 into overtime, giving Winnipeg a victory over host Vancouver. The win marked only Winnipeg’s third victory in their past eight outings.

Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor each scored for the Jets, with Mark Scheifele contributing two assists and Eric Comrie making 21 saves.

Vancouver’s Evander Kane and Drew O’Connor provided the goals, while Tolopilo stopped 25 shots for the last-place Canucks, who suffered their fourth straight defeat.

Stars 4, Kraken 1

Wyatt Johnston’s two-goal performance and Thomas Harley’s two assists powered Dallas past visiting Seattle, extending the Stars’ winning streak to seven games.

Matt Duchene and Sam Steel also tallied for Dallas, with Duchene adding an assist. Casey DeSmith earned the victory with 18 saves, improving his record against Seattle to 3-0-0 this season.

Ryker Evans scored Seattle’s lone goal, while Joey Daccord made 28 saves for the Kraken, who had won six of their previous eight games.

Golden Knights 6, Kings 4

Pavel Dorofeyev’s two goals, including the decisive score in a wild five-goal third period, led visiting Vegas to victory over Los Angeles.

Colton Sissons and Reilly Smith each recorded a goal and assist, while Tanner Laczynski provided three assists for the Golden Knights. Brandon Saad and Ivan Barbashev also scored, and goaltender Adin Hill made 15 saves while adding an assist.

Quinton Byfield scored twice for Los Angeles, with Artemi Panarin recording two assists in his Kings debut. Adrian Kempe and Brandt Clarke each had a goal and assist for the Kings, who dropped their fourth consecutive game.

Avalanche 4, Mammoth 2

Parker Kelly and Martin Necas each contributed a goal and assist as Colorado defeated Utah in Salt Lake City in a game where all six goals came in the middle period.

Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves for Colorado, which won its third game in four tries. Victor Olofsson and Brock Nelson also scored for the Avalanche.

Dylan Guenther netted both goals for Utah, while Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 shots for the Mammoth, whose strong 11-3-1 pre-break run came to an end.

Capitals 3, Flyers 1

Logan Thompson’s 23 saves and Trevor van Riemsdyk’s late third-period goal lifted Washington over visiting Philadelphia in the Capitals’ return from the Olympic hiatus.

The victory continued Washington’s strong recent play, improving to 5-1-0 over their last six contests. Aliaksei Protas added an empty-net goal, and Rasmus Sandin scored in the second period.

Noah Cates provided Philadelphia’s only goal, while Dan Vladar made 26 saves. The loss dropped the Flyers to 1-4-2 in their past seven games.

Sabres 2, Devils 1

Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs each recorded a goal and assist as Buffalo defeated New Jersey in Newark.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned from a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury to make 27 saves for Buffalo, which improved to 7-2-1 over its last 10 games.

Timo Meier scored for New Jersey, while Jake Allen stopped 28 shots for the Devils, who have lost four straight games and six of their last seven.