The puck dropped in Anaheim on Monday night when the Utah Mammoth visited the Ducks. The Ducks were fresh off a three-game road trip on which they did not win once. The Mammoth had an up-and-down week before the game, winning one and losing two, and were joined by their moms on this visit to California. Per Jeff Marek, this would be the first game in NHL history with four Czech goaltenders matching up. Lukas Dostal and Karel Vejmelka would match up between the pipes, backed up by Petr Mrazek and Vitek Vanecek.
First Period
At just about four minutes into play, Ducks forward Troy Terry took a minor penalty for hooking, while Mikhail Sergachev took the same time for embellishment of the hook. Four-on-four play resulted in no goals.
Beckett Sennecke took a tripping penalty halfway through the period, and Utah had its first power play of the game, which they did not convert. Jackson LaCombe of the Ducks got his first goal of the season in the waning minutes of the period, with Ryan Strome and Alex Killorn assisting.
Just seconds after the goal celebration, Ross Johnston and Liam O’Brien engaged in a fight, with Johnston taking his opponent to the ice. They were both assessed five-minute penalties. The period ended with just seven Mammoth shots on goal to the Ducks’ five, and the latter leading 1-0.
Second Period
Lawson Crouse took a penalty for hooking early in the period, giving the Ducks their first power-play chance of the night. They did not convert on the man-advantage. It was a very quiet period, with no additional penalties or goals occurring for nearly 14 minutes of play.
Related: ‘I’ll Always Be Thankful’: Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring Make Emotional Return to Utah
However, Dylan Guenther tied the game with just under two minutes to go, assisted by Nate Schmidt and John Marino. The Mammoth’s late-period answer would create a whole different hockey game heading into the third period. They had seven shots on goal in the middle frame; the Ducks had nine.
Third Period and Overtime
The Mammoth went up 2-1 when Logan Cooley fired a one-timer past Dostal. Sergachev and Nick Schmaltz assisted. No penalties occurred in the final period. Just when it seemed hope was lost for the Ducks, Terry scored from Chris Kreider and Cutter Gauthier with just four seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.
It did not take long for the Ducks to rally and complete their comeback win. At 1:50 into overtime, Killorn and Sennecke worked together to get the puck to Olen Zellweger, who slotted it into a wide-open net behind Vejmelka. Against all odds, the Ducks took a 3-2 victory to start their six-game homestand.
The Mammoth will play again tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks before returning home. The Ducks are set to be visited by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
