ANAHEIM — Mikael Granlund gave the Ducks a dramatic finish Sunday, tipping in Leo Carlsson’s pass on the power play with 46 seconds remaining in overtime to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 at Honda Center.
Anaheim had let a one-goal lead slip in the closing minutes when Brad Marchand scored in his first game of the season, but the Ducks regrouped and stayed perfect through two games. Cutter Gauthier supplied both Anaheim regulation goals on the man advantage and added an assist, while Carlsson set up all three Ducks goals. Lukas Dostal turned aside 29 shots.
The victory marked Anaheim’s 11th straight win in a home opener, extending the franchise record. The Ducks are 2-0-0.
Gauthier opened the scoring late in the first period, beating Jacob Markstrom with a quick shot from above the left circle at 16:18. Florida answered less than a minute later after Matthew Tkachuk stole Tim Washe’s attempted pass behind the Anaheim cage. Tkachuk fed Sam Bennett in front, Dostal stopped Bennett’s close-range try, and Carter Verhaeghe buried the loose puck to make it 1-1 at 17:09.
The Ducks went back in front almost immediately after the second period began. Lars Eller was assessed a cross-checking penalty against Granlund as the opening period ended, leaving Anaheim with a carryover power play. Just 47 seconds into the middle frame, Gauthier completed a crisp passing sequence for his second goal and a 2-1 Ducks lead.
Marchand makes immediate impact in return
Marchand had not played since March 6 and underwent offseason surgery for an undisclosed injury following a lower-body issue. With Markstrom on the bench for an extra attacker, Marchand found a rebound and pulled Florida level at 18:10 of the third period.
The Panthers were also playing without captain Aleksander Barkov, who was placed on long-term injured reserve after sustaining a lower-body injury during Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. Florida, now 1-0-2, received 18 saves from Markstrom.
Overtime brought another Anaheim power play, and Carlsson worked the puck into the middle for Granlund. The veteran forward redirected the feed past Markstrom to close out a night in which the Ducks’ special teams carried the scoreboard and their home-opening streak stayed intact.
