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McTavish ends drought as Ducks edge Canucks, extend Pacific Division lead

March 25, 2026

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Few in the NHL respond to a deficit better than the surging Ducks.

Mikael Granlund scored twice, Mason McTavish scored his first goal in 15 games, and the Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-3, on Thursday night for their 24th come-from-behind win of the season, which is tied for the league lead.

John Carlson had three assists, Alex Killorn had a goal and an assist, Troy Terry also scored, and Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots for the Ducks (40-27-4, 84 ‌points), who stretched their point streak to five games (4-0-1).

The Ducks grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second period, only to see Vancouver rally and tie the score twice before McTavish ended his drought by scoring what proved to be the game-winner at the 5:45 mark of the third.

“It’s been pretty hard,” McTavish told NHL.com. “It’s been a tough couple weeks, stretch of games for me, so it’s nice to get that one for sure. It was a great feeling, for sure.”

The Ducks remained atop the Pacific Division with a five-point cushion (and a game in hand) on second-place Edmonton and a six-point lead (and a game in hand) on third-place Vegas.

“There’s obviously times of the game that we just got to buckle down a little bit more, and I think maybe just a little more zone time would help with that,” Carlson, who was playing his fifth game with the Ducks after being acquired from the Washington Capitals on March 6, told NHL.com. “But it’s a savvy group in here that’s finding ways to win, so that’s good.”

Carlson missed his first four games with the Ducks after the trade and had just one assist in his first four games in the lineup before breaking through on Tuesday.

“He had a really good game,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville told NHL.com. “He just knows when it’s time to jump into the play or play recognition at the point, shots getting through, his gap is solid, patience with the puck coming out of our end, direct passes. Just settles us down a lot.”

Carlson said it’s been an adjustment after spending his first 17 seasons in Washington.

“Getting used to some things, getting used to some players, little things like that but otherwise, it’s a great group of guys that have welcomed me,” Carlson said. “I feel comfortable and confident in here, and it’s a fun team.”

Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor scored for the Canucks (21-41-8, 50 points), while Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson each contributed a pair of assists. Kevin Lankinen made 29 saves.

Pettersson’s second assist of the night marked the 500th regular-season point of his NHL career.

Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas returned to the lineup after serving a five-game suspension for the knee-on-knee hit on Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. The blow left Matthews with a torn knee ligament that required season-ending surgery.

The Canucks got solid play from their special teams. DeBrusk and Boeser each scored power-play goals, and the penalty kill weathered a 95-second five-on-three before conceding Granlund’s goal late on a penalty to defenseman Elias Pettersson.

After the Ducks couldn’t capitalize on an early ⁠power play, the Canucks scored on their first man-advantage chance minutes later.DeBrusk received a pass a few feet to the left of Dostal with room to spin and sweep the puck into the far side of the net for a 1-0 lead at 5:45 of the first period.

The Ducks then outshot Vancouver 14-12 and scored a pair of goals over a 2:24 span. They tied it 1-1 at 5:26 of the second period when Carlson made a short feed ahead to Killorn on a rush, who drove through the left faceoff circle before lifting a backhand shot into the net.

The Ducks penned the Canucks in their zone for a long stretch before a rebound popped in the air and Granlund knocked the puck across the goal line just ‌before ⁠it landed for a 2-1 lead at 7:50 of the middle frame.

The Canucks were on their third power play of the game when Boeser tied it 2-2 with a one-timer from below the left circle at 13:13 of the second period.

The Ducks couldn’t capitalize on a two-man advantage that lasted 1:36 and bridged the second and third periods, but Granlund followed ⁠up his own rebound and scored before the second penalty expired to move the visitors back in front 3-2 at 1:01.

A turnover by Ducks rookie Beckett Sennecke sprung an odd-man rush the other way, and O’Connor put in a rebound to tie it ⁠3-3 at 2:22, converting a rebound from the right hash mark after Dostal made the initial save off an Evander Kane shot.

Lankinen made a save on a breakaway by Ducks leading scorer Cutter Gauthier at 5:14, but McTavish scored 31 seconds later to put the Ducks ahead for good.

His 14th goal of the season came when he blasted a one-timer over Lankinen’s glove from the faceoff dot for a 4-3 lead. Terry sealed the win with an empty-netter with five seconds left.

“We’d let one in and we answer right away,” Carlson told NHL.com. “Those are big moments of the game, and learning moments too, that we focus on going forward.”

NOTES

The Ducks earned their first 40-win season since 2017-18, the last time they made the postseason. … Vancouver has lost 13 of its past 16 games (3-10-3) and owns the fewest points in the NHL but came in 12-1-0 in its past 13 games against the Ducks. The Canucks were trying for a three-game sweep of the Ducks this season. … Pettersson tallied his 500th regular-season point in his 533rd game. Thomas Gradin is the lone Canuck to hit the milestone faster, doing so in 529 games.

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The Ducks visit Calgary on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Orange County Register

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McTavish ends drought as Ducks edge Canucks, extend Pacific Division lead

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