Leo Carlsson posted his second multi-goal performance in the past four games, leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 6-2 win over the visiting Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
Carlsson scored in the first and third periods for the Ducks (31-32-8, 70 points), who put the game away in a three-goal second and improved to 2-1-1 in their past four games.
Anaheim’s Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist, while Nikita Nesterenko, Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier also scored and Alex Killorn had a pair of assists.
Ducks goalie John Gibson made 23 saves, including 15 in the third period.
Morgan Geekie recorded a goal and an assist, David Pastrnak also tallied and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots for Boston (30-34-9, 69 points), which is on a seven-game skid (0-6-1).
The Ducks blitzed Korpisalo with 15 first-period shots, taking a 1-0 lead when Carlsson finished Killorn’s backhand saucer pass on a two-on-one rush for a short-handed goal at the 17:33 mark.
Korpisalo made one of his best saves 4:29 in, denying a hard Gauthier wrist shot between the circles before Carlsson deflected the rebound just wide from close range.
Gibson squeezed his pads against the post to stop Bruins rookie Fabian Lysell’s backhand attempt at his first NHL goal in the final minute of the period and denied Geekie’s one-timer from the slot five minutes into the second.
Nesterenko doubled the Anaheim lead at 13:58 of the second. He raced after a puck that slid out of the Boston zone and drove to the net for a rebound goal that deflected off defenseman Michael Callahan and in as he was called for a penalty.
Pastrnak broke Boston’s six-game power-play scoring drought with a high-glove wrister from the right side with 3:40 left in the second.
However, the Ducks responded with two insurance goals in 48 seconds to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission. After a bad breakout pass kept Anaheim’s zone time running, LaCombe’s attempt to lob the puck over the net bounced in off Pavel Zacha in front with 2:03 left.
The second quick-fire goal came from Gauthier, who picked up the puck following Killorn’s forecheck and slotted home a quick shot from near the end line on the left side.
Carlsson added onto the Ducks’ advantage at 4:02 of the third, snapping off LaCombe’s centering pass from the middle of the ice.
After intercepting a defensive-zone pass, McTavish rushed down the left side and snapped a high shot past Korpisalo at 12:25. Geekie got one back 21 seconds later for the Bruins, putting in a Zacha feed.
–Field Level Media
