ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks snapped a nine-game losing streak on Tuesday night, defeating the Dallas Stars 3-1 at the Honda Center, despite a late push from the visitors that briefly threatened to send the game into overtime.
Goaltender Lukas Dostal anchored the Ducks’ effort, making 24 saves to preserve the lead as Anaheim ended an 0-8-1 skid. The victory came despite a depleted roster; the Ducks were missing their top three point-scorers—Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry, and Cutter Gauthier—due to injury or illness. Conversely, the Stars were playing the second leg of a back-to-back set after defeating the Los Angeles Kings the previous night, and were without key defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who was absent due to a personal family matter.
Offensively, Chris Kreider opened the scoring for Anaheim early in the second period, beating Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith stick-side. Rookie Beckett Sennecke extended the lead to 2-0 in the third period with a backhand goal after gathering a rebound off the end boards.
The “late rally” referenced in post-game reports materialized with just 2:12 remaining in regulation. Dallas forward Roope Hintz finally broke Dostal’s shutout bid, scoring from the slot with an extra attacker on the ice to cut the deficit to 2-1. However, the Stars’ momentum was stifled when Jacob Trouba launched a puck the length of the ice into an empty net with 20 seconds remaining, sealing the victory for Anaheim.
While the Stars dominated possession in spurts, their power play struggles continued, finishing 0-for-3 on the night and extending a drought to 0-for-7 over their last four games. The loss dropped Dallas to 6-2-0 in the second half of back-to-back games this season.
“We didn’t want to have that one to get to 10 games,” Sennecke said regarding the losing streak. “We’re super pumped to finally get back into that win column.”
The Stars will look to regroup as they conclude their six-game road trip in Utah on Thursday, while the Ducks prepare for a home-and-home series against the Kings starting Friday.
