Ducks Drop 5-2 Lead, Fall 6-5 to Canucks in Overtime

The Anaheim Ducks surrendered a five-goal lead to lose 6-5 to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at Honda Center, marking their sixth defeat in seven games. The loss capped a volatile contest in which the home team dominated possession for the majority of regulation but could not hold onto their advantage into the final minutes.

Vancouver, which entered the game riding a ten-game losing streak, used a flurry of late scoring to reverse the momentum. The Canucks' penalty kill, the worst in the league, was overwhelmed early, but their resilience in the final twenty minutes proved decisive as they erased a significant deficit to force an overtime decision.

The scoring sequence for the Canucks began in earnest with Liam Öhgren, who scored when a pass intended for Zeev Buium struck Tristan Luneau's skate and banked into the net. Brock Boeser followed with an accidental own goal at the 11:40 mark, skating into an airborne puck that directed itself into the net.

A.J. Greer kept the Ducks alive with his second goal of the game just 43 seconds later, collecting a deflection off Sam Colangelo's shot attempt. However, the third period saw Vancouver strike three times. Jamie Oleksiak opened the stretch with a snap shot, followed by Jonathan Lekkerimäki scoring an unassisted goal on the power play after a turnover by Greer at the 17:14 mark.

Lekkerimäki added another goal with 18:03 remaining in the third period, scoring off a snap shot above the left circle to pull the Canucks within one. He then assisted on the game-tying goal, setting up the sequence that sent the contest to overtime, while center Elias Pettersson contributed two assists for Vancouver.

The decisive sequence arrived with 2:11 left in overtime. Beckett Sennecke took a high-sticking penalty, followed shortly by a minor penalty from Alex Killorn with 26.6 seconds remaining. That left the Ducks shorthanded for the final 10.4 seconds, during which Filip Hronek fired the game-winning shot into the net.

Lukáš Dostál stopped 27 shots for Anaheim, while Leevi Meriläinen made 18 saves for Vancouver. Greer finished with two goals, bringing his season total to four, all scored in his last five appearances. Jackson LaCombe recorded three assists, and Leo Carlsson added a goal and an assist, extending his offensive run to four goals this season.

The Ducks' earlier lead was built on efficient play, including a power-play goal by Sennecke and an even-strength goal by Carlsson, who was set up by Jeff Malott. Malott, who was elevated to the second line, scored his second goal of the season after a puck recovery and tap-in from LaCombe. The Ducks had taken the initial lead on an own goal by Hronek following a deflection from Greer's centering pass.