Poehling and Husso lead Ducks past Flames after Calgary pulls even twice

LaCombe opened it, Vatrano restored it

The game never stayed settled for long. Jackson LaCombe gave Anaheim the first lead at 10:02 of the opening period, snapping home his first goal of the season with Leo Carlsson and Mikael Granlund collecting the assists. Calgary answered at 15:03 when Morgan Frost finished a wrist shot for his second goal, set up by Matt Coronato and Simon Nemec.

Anaheim had the final word in a first period that established the night’s pattern. Frank Vatrano put the Ducks back in front at 19:15 with a deflection, and Poehling was in the middle of it there as well, adding the primary assist alongside Noah Warren. Calgary had erased one deficit, but the Flames were already chasing the score again before intermission.

The second period brought another push from the home side and another equalizer. Aydar Suniev tied it 2-2 at 17:54 with a wrist shot off a Coronato feed, giving Coronato assists on both Calgary goals. That mattered because the Flames did enough to stay in the contest, but they never managed to turn those recoveries into a lead of their own.

Poehling broke the tie and Husso protected it

The deadlock carried into the third and held for only 5:35. Poehling, already on the scoresheet twice, finished a snap shot from Pavel Mintyukov to put Anaheim ahead 3-2. Calgary still had time to answer again, but the Ducks found the insurance goal instead when Nikita Nesterenko scored unassisted at 17:03 on a poke play that finally gave Anaheim breathing room.

Husso’s work behind that structure was central to the result. He stopped 27 of 29 shots for a .931 save percentage, while the Ducks helped him by blocking 23 attempts. Tyson Hinds, Travis Mitchell and Warren each recorded four blocks, and Tim Washe supplied a heavy edge with nine hits. Calgary finished with a narrow 29-28 edge in shots and won 35 faceoffs to Anaheim’s 32, but the Ducks were sharper at closing the crucial sequences once they reclaimed the lead.

Our take: Calgary let the special-teams margin get away

For a game that was tied late in the second period, the special-teams numbers stand out. Anaheim scored once on two power-play chances and added a short-handed goal, while Calgary went 0-for-3 with the extra man. That is not a small side note in a one-goal game heading into the third; it is one of the clearest explanations for why the Flames could not turn a competitive night into points.

Calgary generated enough volume to stay dangerous. Joel Farabee put five shots toward goal, Kevin Bahl had four, and Coronato’s two assists tied together both Flames goals. But Dustin Wolf finished with 24 saves on 28 shots and a .857 save percentage, while the Ducks converted four times on 28 shots at the other end. Anaheim did not need a territorial gap to win; it simply made more of its chances and defended its advantage more cleanly once it had it.

From Anaheim’s side, this was the kind of road-style win that looks sustainable in the details. A defenceman started the scoring, a depth forward delivered the winner, Husso handled the rest, and the club got offence from LaCombe, Vatrano, Poehling and Nesterenko rather than leaning on one scorer. If there is still a caution for the Ducks, it is that Calgary finished with one more shot, a slight edge on draws and nearly the same giveaway total. On this night, though, Anaheim’s finishing and shot-blocking were enough to outweigh the rest.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 10:02

   Jackson LaCombe Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Leo Carlsson (7), Mikael Granlund (4)

2. 1st · 15:03

   Morgan Frost Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Matt Coronato (1), Simon Nemec (1)

3. 1st · 19:15

   Frank Vatrano Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Ryan Poehling (1), Noah Warren (3)

4. 2nd · 17:54

   Aydar Suniev Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Matt Coronato (2)

5. 3rd · 5:35

   Ryan Poehling Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Pavel Mintyukov (1)

6. 3rd · 17:03

   Nikita Nesterenko Goal (2) Poke, assists: Alex Killorn (1), Mikael Granlund (5)