Adam Henrique scored his first career hat trick, helping the Anaheim Ducks break a five-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.
Key Contributions
Alex Killorn added a goal and two assists, while Troy Terry had a goal and an assist. Defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Cam Fowler each provided two assists for the Ducks, who were 1-13-0 since their last regulation win on Nov. 14.
“This was big for us. They came out hard in the first period, but we did a good job after that,” Henrique said. “We put pressure on them and got our special teams going 4-on-4.”
Goaltending Changes
John Gibson made 18 saves through two periods before being replaced by Lukas Dostal, who stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third. The Ducks reported that Gibson was pulled due to feeling “under the weather.”
Michael McLeod scored for the Devils, and Akira Schmid finished with 22 saves. The Devils had been on a winning streak, winning two straight and five of their last six games.
“I didn’t think our execution was very good,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We missed some good opportunities and made some defensive errors. It wasn’t a good performance.”
Game Highlights
Despite New Jersey dominating the first period with a 14-4 shot advantage, Henrique opened the scoring at 1:46 of the second period on a power play. He doubled the lead to 2-0 with 8:43 left in the period.
McLeod finally broke through for the Devils with 44 seconds left in the second period, scoring his sixth goal of the season.
“Our guys usually do a good job putting it in the net, but it didn’t happen tonight,” McLeod said. “We had some good looks and got a bit frustrated as the game went on.”
Killorn extended Anaheim’s lead to 3-1 early in the third period before Terry made it 4-1. Henrique completed his hat trick with a short-handed, empty-net goal, marking his ninth goal of the season.
“It’s special. This place was special for me for a long time. A lot of great memories here,” Henrique said. “I always enjoy playing in this building. It’s funny that the first one was here.”
Injuries and Lineup Changes
Due to injuries, the Ducks were without four key players: Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Isac Lundestrom, and Jamie Drysdale.
New Jersey recalled goaltender Nico Daws from AHL Utica to back up Schmid, as Vitek Vanecek was not feeling well and did not dress for the game.
Upcoming Games
- Ducks: Visit Detroit on Monday night to finish their four-game road trip.
- Devils: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
