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Cutter Gauthier, Anaheim Ducks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Cutter Gauthier’s 2 Goals Lead Ducks to 4-3 Comeback Win Over Flames

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Hayley Paljug | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 1:20 AM ET

The Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames faced off for the second time in under a week, this time on Anaheim’s home ice. The Ducks were looking to avenge their 4-1 loss from the previous game against the Flames, while the Flames were hoping to cap off their short road trip with a perfect record. With John Gibson still out with an undisclosed injury, American Hockey League goaltender Ville Husso tended the net for Anaheim. Young superstar Dustin Wolf guarded the other end of the ice.

Game Recap

The first period was slow offensively and seemed to be more of a game of trading penalties. The Ducks were able to kill off their first penalty, assessed to Leo Carlsson for delay of game. Ducks’ captain Radko Gudas took a high stick to the face, sending him down the tunnel for medical care – he returned before the end of the period. This move by Adam Klapka was not called for a penalty due to it being a regular act of a follow-through and not high-sticking. Shortly after the no-call, Mikael Backlund was assessed a cross-checking penalty, and Anaheim went on their first power play, which the Flames successfully killed off. A few minutes later, Nazem Kadri was tripped by Pavel Mintyukov, giving the Flames their second power play of the night, which was unsuccessful. The Flames doubled the number of shots on goal of the Ducks, firing at the net 14 times to Anaheim’s seven. Heading into the second period, both teams desperately needed to pick up their offense.

Gudas started the second period’s penalties by high-sticking Kadri and putting the Ducks on another penalty kill, which passed with just one shot on goal. Both Husso and Wolf stood strong in their respective nets, with Husso facing significantly more shots than Wolf. The Ducks were unable to get and maintain possession of the puck, which was finally evident on the scoresheet after a goal by Backlund. The captain deflected the puck past Husso after nearly 15 minutes had passed in the middle period.

Calgary would look to add to their lead as they went on their fourth power play of the night after Gudas took yet another penalty, this time for tripping Jonathan Huberdeau. The Ducks attempted to make a quick breakaway to score shorthanded, but Wolf made an impressive diving save to keep the Flames’ lead at 1-0 as time expired. The one-goal score did not accurately represent the effort from either team heading into the second intermission. Calgary remained offensively dominant with 11 shots on goal, while Anaheim registered just five.

The Wolf Man pic.twitter.com/V7aQEPNI87
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 10, 2025

Early in the third period, Morgan Frost was checked hard into the boards by Olen Zellweger. Frost went to the locker room, likely under concussion protocol, as he fell head-first. Oliver Kylington was given a two-minute minor, and Anaheim went on their fifth penalty kill of the night, which was successful – Calgary had yet to convert on the power play. They had another chance to score five-on-four after Drew Helleson took a minor penalty, but the Ducks killed it off with ease. Soon after the penalty kill, the Ducks finally had an answer for Calgary’s goal – a powerful shot from Trevor Zegras fired into the top of the net. The Flames responded in kind with a goal by Yegor Sharangovich, giving them a 2-1 lead heading into the final five minutes of the period.

Matt Coronato cushioned the Flames’ lead by scoring on a rebound, his fifth point against the Ducks this season. That two-goal lead lasted less than a minute with both Frank Vatrano and Cutter Gauthier scoring within 10 seconds of each other to tie the game at three. The remaining few minutes of regulation saw two teams that were fired up and fighting for the win, a drastic change from the first period. Sixty minutes would not be enough, and the game headed to overtime.

Cutter Gauthier, Anaheim Ducks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Overtime did not last long – just 1:11. The Ducks were able to complete their comeback thanks to Gauthier, who scored both the game-tying and game-winning goal. On a breakaway, Leo Carlsson turned on the jets and completed a pass to Gauthier, who fired it into the back of the net. Despite all odds, the Ducks found a way to find their groove in the third period and finish with a win in overtime. This would be their ninth third-period comeback win of the season, a record they co-hold with none other than the Flames.

The Flames will go home with a 1-1-0 record on their California stint and will face off against the Minnesota Wild on Friday. The Ducks will play the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow in Los Angeles.