Recap: Ducks Beat Sharks for Second Straight Night, Now 3-0 in Preseason

Lukas Dostal made 47 saves, backstopping the Ducks to their third straight preseason victory with a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks tonight at Honda Center.

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With the win, Anaheim's second in as many days against its division rival, the Ducks now sit 3-0-0 for the 2023 preseason, outscoring opponents 11-6.

Pavel Mintyukov, Chase De Leo and Brett Leason scored for Anaheim. Nikita Nesterenko, Adam Henrique, Olen Zellweger, Nathan Gaucher, Radko Gudas and Zack Kassian tallied assists.

That would be more than enough support for Dostal, who stole the show in the Anaheim net, turning aside 47-of-49 San Jose shots.

Justin Bailey and Nathan Todd scored for San Jose. Georgi Romanov made 22 saves in the loss.

San Jose went ahead first less than halfway through the opening period, dealing Anaheim its first deficit of the preseason when Justin Bailey tapped home a rebound from just outside the crease for a power-play goal.

Anaheim wasted little time responding though, striking twice in a span of 48 seconds to take the lead back to the locker room at the first intermission for the third straight game.

Mintyukov tied the game with 2:41 to play in the first, capitalizing on a won offensive-zone faceoff and getting his shot through traffic in front to beat the screened Romanov.

Selected tenth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, Mintyukov will begin his professional career this fall after earning Ontario Hockey League Defenseman of the Year honors last season.

Henrique, who won the faceoff to Romanov's right, earned his first point of the preseason with the lone assist.

De Leo scored on the next shift, taking a pass from Nesterenko in the left side corner and zipping a quick wrister by Romanov before the young goaltender could reset in his crease.

One of four California-born players to ever suit up for the Ducks, De Leo was named captain of the San Diego Gulls last season. Despite battling injuries, the 27-year-old La Mirada native tallied 23 points in 22 AHL games.

Zellweger grabbed the secondary assist and now has three points in two preseason appearances.

Leason doubled the lead midway through the second, following up his own rebound in tight for his second goal against the Sharks in as many nights.

Claimed on waivers from Washington just prior to the start of the 2022-23 campaign, Leason tallied 6-3=9 points in 54 games with Anaheim last season.

Anaheim pushed the lead to four on the initial shift of the third period when McGinn fooled Romanov with a shot off the rush, tucking his bid under the crossbar to the glove side off left wing.

After posting two assists in the preseason opener Sunday vs. LA, McGinn now has three points in his first two exhibition games.

San Jose would pull back within two with 13 minutes to play on a goal that looked a whole lot like McGinn's - a snap shot to the glove side off left wing off the stick of Todd. 

That would be as close as the visitors would come though, as Dostal and Co. shut the door from there to lock down Anaheim's third straight preseason victory.

Anaheim continues its eight-game preseason schedule Friday against the Los Angeles Kings at Pechanga Arena San Diego, home of the American Hockey League's San Diego Gulls. Tickets are on sale now.